Characters
The majority of characters in this game are actors, cast in one of the 21 speaking parts in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The remaining 7 characters have a backstage role like director, stagemanager, stagehand, and understudy.
Half the characters are Performers. These are people with a key role in the production (any part with over 100 lines, as well as the two co-directors and the stage manager.) Each of them has the ability to make or break the production, and they will use this power to project their own dreams, desires, and insecurities into the play. This in turn makes them unwitting targets for the conflicting magical influences that are taking over the rehearsals.
You might play a Performer if you want:
Themes of ambition, art, creativity, humanity
Immense power on-stage, but little elsewhere
Play on stagecraft, rehearsal, and interpreting a text (but you won't be expected to act "well" or learn lines)
A more structured experience
The other half of the characters are Vessels. These people have a more minor role in the production, but are possessed by the spirit of one of the play’s key characters. These spirits have designs upon the fate of the production and the personal lives of their hosts, which their Vessel may try to embrace or reject. How this spirit’s influence manifests is up to the player, effectively playing two characters at once.
You might play a Vessel if you want:
Themes of identity, control, chaos, magic
Great influence everywhere, except while on stage
Play on personality, inner conflict, and influencing others
A more freeform experience
Despite these two distinct categories, this is not a game of two halves. All characters will still be very intermingled, brought together by the shared purpose of rehearsals. Each Vessel will also have a close connection with the Performer of the character who is possessing them.
You can find a basic breakdown of the play's characters, including whether they will be Performers or Vessels, here: Characters
Three Act Structure
The game is made up of three 2-hour Acts each taking place at different points throughout the play’s rehearsal period, around a month of in-game time apart.
Act 1 - The first rehearsal - the first time embodying the roles for many of the characters
Act 2 - The mid-way point - the troupe beginning to feel more familiar with the text
Act 3 - The dress rehearsal - a full run-through with no (planned) interruptions
In each Act the magical influences upon the troupe will grow stronger, the possessing spirits more wilful, and the stakes higher for both the play and its performers. There will be a short out-of-character break between each Act, to give an opportunity to talk about how your game is going and what you might want more of.
Each character will be provided with short summaries of the significant changes in their life between each Act - depending on your preferences around transparent/opaque play you are welcome to read these in advance, or wait until the appropriate time on the day.
Acts 1 and 2 will have a relatively loose structure, with a “call sheet” that schedules rehearsals and other scenes, leaving plenty of space for interpersonal play and exploration.
Act 3 will have everyone focused on the dress rehearsal as magical forces send things increasingly off the rails, and personal conflicts come to a head. By this point the fate of the production will be depending on a successful run-through, but this won't keep people from sneaking in their own additions and alterations...
(There is no expectation to have learned your character's lines at any point in the game. Even the final dress rehearsal will be "on book.")
Ushers
A number of game crew will be present as “ushers”, to help people get around the space, and wearing name tags that clearly label them as such. They can help with any questions or issues you may have, whether that’s about the game or something more practical.
They are present and can be acknowledged in-character, but are only there for out-of-character reasons so shouldn’t be invited into any roleplay.
When moving around the playhouse please ensure an usher is with you (unless you’re going to the toilet or have some kind of emergency.)
We aim to have a lot of crew on-hand so everyone can move around freely, and if an usher isn’t able to help you with something they should be able to summon someone who can.
Blackboxes
A “blackbox” in Larp is a dedicated space for playing out scenes which sit somewhat outside the reality of the game. For A Play Toward our blackbox is “The Woods” - a place of magic and chaos, in which characters have a chance to interact directly with the “spirits” of the play. A member of crew will pull you aside at certain pre-established points to take you to one of the blackbox spaces. You’re not obliged to answer the call when it comes, but it will be difficult-to-impossible to reschedule or meaningfully delay these scenes. We can provide timings in advance to anyone who would prefer that.
Every Performer will have two such scenes, one in Act 1 and another in Act 2, in which they may be convinced to meddle with the play's final rehearsal in various ways.
Each Vessel will have a scene during Act 3, in which they can decide whether to permanently accept or reject the influence of the spirit that has been possessing them.
Shrines
Around the Playhouse building there will be various objects, each with a connection to one of the spirits of the play. You will recognise them by a lightly-coloured A5 envelope, either attached to or placed alongside them. These are there for anyone to interact with, and partially to encourage scenes beyond the central locations of the stage and rehearsal rooms.
The envelopes are a mechanical symbol and not visible in-character. It is not possible to move the objects, or separate them from their envelopes, however much your character may want to!
On the front of each envelope there will be a roleplaying effect, which you can choose to follow after interacting with the object in some way.
On the back of each envelope there will be the name of a character in the play. If you are the Vessel for that specific spirit, you can leave a note inside the envelope to ask them a question. Please ensure a crew member is aware you have done so, and an answer will be left to find if you return later.
Phrases and Signals
"Stop the game"
If something happens that requires urgent attention - like a medical emergency or safety hazard - call out “Stop The Game.”
Upon hearing this you should immediately stop roleplaying, pay attention to the source of the call, and either await instructions or take action as appropriate. Alert an organiser or venue staff if they are not already present.
Calibrating on the fly - “OC…”
If something is happening which you would like to change or stop, you’re encouraged to communicate this by saying so, prefaced with “OC:”, which stands for out-of-character.
For example “OC: I’d prefer not to talk about this”, “OC: I need more space,” or “OC: Could we step outside to chat for a moment?” There are no restrictions on when or how you can do this, and if someone asks something of you please adjust as smoothly as you can.
Leaving and entering scenes - Shielding eyes
Sometimes your character will arrive late to a rehearsal because they got distracted by a blazing row with someone. Other times it will just be that you got lost on the way or needed a toilet. If you are entering a scene and don’t want people to comment on your late arrival, you can briefly shield your eyes. People should integrate you into the scene but otherwise proceed as they were before.
Likewise, if you want to step away from a scene for any reason, but your character wouldn’t feel able to, you can shield your eyes as you leave.
(In other games this signal is also used to start an out-of-character conversation, but for clarity here please stick to the “OC…” mechanic for this.)
Inviting criticism - Hand on heart
By default, you shouldn’t negatively criticise other people’s performance in-character (or out-of-character!) Offering general tips and suggestions is fair play, but ideally in a way that avoids anything too personal. (If in doubt, perhaps say “That was great. I wonder what it would look like if…”)
However several characters are explicitly written as bad actors, and others are keen to criticise them. To signal that your character is acting badly, put one hand against your chest. You can then use your roleplay to indicate whether they are over-acting, nervous, distracted, or something else…
Seeing someone make this signal is an explicit invitation to heap criticism on their character.
Spirit influence - “What if, perchance…”
Every Vessel character has the ability to influence the behaviour of other characters, both Performers and other Vessels, especially while doing something that embodies the spirit that is possessing them.
The phrase “What if, perchance…” signifies that the words that follow represent the influence of a spirit. If someone says this to you, then you should fold it into your roleplay, even if it might lead your character to do something they normally wouldn’t.
This can only ever be delivered to a specific person, and can’t affect multiple people at once.
These influences should be on the level of character’s feelings, beliefs, and perceptions, without explicitly pushing them to take specific actions. There are no hard rules for how they should be interpreted, or how long they should last. The decision of how it affects the character, and how long it lasts, is entirely in the hands of the target, and we discourage Vessels from using it with a specific outcome in mind.
If a use of this mechanic is taking you out of your comfort zone, you are welcome to disregard it entirely. If so it’s encouraged to briefly drop character to calibrate with the person who said it to you.
Where's The Fun?
Making meaning
Though this game is full of big personalities and a busy schedule, we’re equally interested in the characters’ inner worlds. Every character has some kind of relationship with theatre, whether they’re brand new to it or the troupe is a core part of their identity.
Most also have a character to play and/or a spirit possessing them. This can open up exploration of the way their character differs or relates to the character (and spirit) that’s been thrust upon them.
Questions about what it means to perform and create, and how we should relate to historical texts, are especially important to this game. Your character might inwardly ponder these things, or openly argue about them.
The character briefs have a “Questions In Need Of Answers” section, which may help steer you on some of these topics. The blackbox scenes are also intended to draw out these questions, and push your character to take a firm stance.
Sticking to the script
Performance is interpretation, especially for a text that’s over 400 years old. Deciding how lines should be delivered, whether others’ or your own, can be a very deep process. It also opens up the opportunity to project your character’s own hopes and insecurities onto the text, expressing their inner conflicts through the play itself.
This interpretation is also inherently contested, with other characters likely to try to pull your performance in a different direction.
Misbehaving
The in-character schedule is in no way an obligation out-of-character. Skipping out on rehearsals to do something else is actively encouraged if it will drive your own story forward, as it will also create game for the players left trying to find a solution, and give the understudy character more opportunities to perform.
We’re not interested in the final dress rehearsal being a polished performance, and think it will be much more fun if it’s constantly at risk of going off the rails.
Being possessed
If you are a vessel, the influence of the spirit possessing you should grow and shrink over the course of each act. It should also become more powerful between acts, starting small in Act I and growing to major disruptions in Act III. It might change your personality and lead your character to do things they usually wouldn’t dream of.
Spirits can also influence others to get what they, or the person they’re possessing, want.