About us

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Please contact us at obscurusnl@gmail.comJoin our mailing list to receive updates on future events. Sign up here via our Google form

Stichting Obscurus 

Obscurus is a Dutch non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting theatre, with a particular focus on improvisation theatre.Our goals are: 1. To promote theatre activities, especially in the field of improvisation theatre. 2. To further advance an innovative cultural climate, especially in the field of improvisation theatre.

Language

Most of our events are written and played in English, with some in Dutch, attracting participants from all around the globe:

What do we organise

Obscurus organises improvisation theatre events without an audience, where participants become characters in a fictional world. These immersive experiences allow participants to step into a different life, exploring diverse settings such as a Victorian high society costume drama, life in a modern cult, or a group of mobsters in a nightclub.

Fully immersive experiences

Obscurus offers 360-degree illusion fully immersive experiences. Step into the shoes of an artist in a real-life modern art gallery, or experience what is it like to be a servant in 19th-century Victorian England. Obscurus provides the venue, props and pre-written characters for each participant.

Pre-written characters

Characters are written by the Obscurus organisers based on participant preferences. Events are announced months or even a year in advance to ensure ample time for writing necessary materialsEach character has a detailed history, a name and a life until today, a few secrets (non-transparency) and all kinds of established relationships with other characters. While your character’s past is fixed, you have the freedom to explore the world we create. Discover secrets, storylines, and relationships as you and your co-players shape the drama, storylines and relationships through improvisation and acting, creating your own meaningful experience. Think of your character brief as a box of possibilities. Only the start of the play is pre-written; it provides all the ingredients for drama. How the story develops or ends, is up to the participants.We ask participants to familiarise themselves with the setting (explained on the event’s website or in the design document) and their character brief, to provide their own costumes, and to fully embody their characters. Immerse yourself in the experience, leaving behind your real-life identity. It’s like living another life for the duration of the event.

It’s not a game

These events are performance art and theatre, not games. There are no rules or skills, just guidelines on portraying characters realistically in a specific setting or time-period.

Diverse experiences

Participants can choose what they wish to explore. Whether you’re interested in personal drama, political intrigue, or exploring life’s possibilities, we provide the opportunities. We believe you can have very different styles of acting and stories within a single event.

Artistic vision

Obscurus is fascinated by humans and their actions. Our characters often possess vulnerabilities. They are misunderstood, desperate, blinded, victimised by circumstances, traumatised by the past or at an all-time low. Still, some of them turn ‘bad’, while others remain ‘good’. We see good and evil as a spectrum, and our characters reflect that. None of them are purely good or evil. They are human; they have flaws and blind spots, make mistakes and and at times do the right thing. The message Obscurus wants to share with its participants is an existential one: A human being, as an individual, is lonely, fearful of rejection, and looking for a higher purpose in life. When these traits are exploited by a power-hungry ideology or religion, entire groups can be manipulated into committing gruesome acts. Experiencing this through theatre is not merely fun or entertainment but a serious life lesson. We see no difference between educating yourself about human nature by watching a television documentary about the Second World War, reading about it, or experiencing a theatre event that allows you to walk a mile in someone else’s shoe.The overall urgency of this is to provide people with different perspectives. Hopefully, the next time you encounter someone with a different view on lifestyles, politics, or religion, you don’t judge from your own perspective but try to see the world through their eyes. Realise that your upbringing, experiences, nationality, social class, race, gender, and sexual orientation give you a certain perspective on things, which may be completely different from someone else's.Of course, you can never fully achieve this within an event lasting a few hours or days, but it does provide food for thought. We aim for social awareness, understanding that under the wrong circumstances, any human being could become either the victim or the monster.

Exploring "What-ifs"

Obscurus creates a safe environment to explore dark "what-ifs" that one hopefully never experiences in real life. How does it feel commit a terrible crime and feel remorse? When would you resort to doing something utterly dark?
The best thing is that you usually find most people stand up for each other. We often see a strong sense of community, allowing you to experience the positive side of humanity.

We take mature content seriously

Some potential participants might have unfortunately lived through difficult experiences related to the themes we are explore in our art. To address this, we publish trigger warnings on our event websites, allowing everyone to consider carefully whether participating would be interesting or enjoyable for them without reliving a trauma.For this reason, we ask on the sign-up form whether you wish to be confronted with certain themes. We take our subjects very seriously and conduct workshops before the actual play begins to raise awareness about the topics we explore. Due to some of the darker themes, participation in an Obscurus event is restricted to adults.

It’s also enjoyable

Participating in improvisation theatre is also enjoyable, offering a holiday-like experience. You'll wear different clothes, meet new people, enjoy new experiences, savour good food, and feel part of a community of like-minded individuals.

A celebration of diversity

Obscurus is a safe haven where everyone can explore new identities and be themselves, regardless of gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, body size, or abilities. Forge real connections with unique individuals and learn more about yourself by thriving in a diverse community.

Terms of Service, Code of Conduct & GDPR policy

Every event has its own website, where you can find the Terms of Service, Code of Conduct & GDPR policy applicable to that event.

Stichting ObscurusKvK nr: 70839107

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