Storehouse co-writer Tristan Bernays details the making of this epic immersive theatre experience opening at Deptford Storehouse where audiences will step into a digital underworld housing humanity’s stories since the dawn of the internet.
Deptford Storehouse opens its doors this week to a huge new immersive experience, titled Storehouse, where audiences will step into a 9,000m underworld where humanity’s stories have been archived since the dawn of the internet.
Toby Jones (Mr Bates vs The Post Office), Meera Syal (The Devil’s Hour), Kathryn Hunter (Black Doves) and Billy Howle (The Perfect Couple) will lend their voices to the narrative as the four founding members, a group of radical visionaries who believed that by storing and analysing all human knowledge, they could ignite the dawn of a new digital consciousness.
As their surroundings crumble and secrets unfold, the true cost of controlling the narrative will become clear as audiences are urged to examine their vulnerability in the face of power.
Leading the physical company in Deptford will be Nina Smith, Dawn Butler, Bonnie Adair and Zachary Pang. They will be joined by Nat Kennedy, Elizabeth Hollingshead, Chris Agha and Harriett O’Grady, with Rob Leetham, Scott Karim, Grace Hussey-Burd and Darrel Bailey.
Storehouse marks the debut production from Liana Patarkatsishvili’s Sage & Jester (Secret Cinema, Punchdrunk, BBC Studios, Warner Music) and promises to be one of the most artistically ambitious, large-scale immersive theatre events ever to be staged in the UK.
The creative team is led by founder & concept creator Patarkatsishvili, executive producer Zoe Snow, creative director Sophie Larsmon, lead producer Rosalyn Newbery, production designer Alice Helps, costume designer Julie Belinda Landau, sound designer James Bulley, original compositions by Sinemis Buyuka and James Bulley, lighting designer Ben Donoghue, dramaturgy by Sophie Drake, story producer Donnacadh O’Briain, co-writer Tristan Bernays, co-writer Sonali Bhattacharyya, co-writer Kathryn Bond, co-writer Katie Lyons, co-writer Caro Murphy, co-writer Rhik Samadder, founder casting director Katy Covell for Covell and Gilbert Casting and actor casting director Annelie Powell for Annelie Powell Casting.
Here, co-writer Tristan Bernays discusses his role in Storefront, the key elements needed to create an immersive experience and the role of the audience in the show.
How did you become involved in the project?
Tristan Bernays: The director Sophia Larsmon and I go way back – she directed my one man show The Bread & The Beer and an intimate immersive show called Souvenir. She got me in last year to help with story development and then the writers room this year – which I was thrilled by because Sophie is ace.
What was the appeal of joining Storehouse?
The chance to work on something huge scale with big ambitions.
What are the key aspects of an immersive production you had to consider from the start?
Two-fold: (1) Establishing a strong story foundation on which to build this extraordinary set and world complete with Alice and her team’s incredible design, and (2) collaboration between departments. Design, tech, production would bring us ideas and challenges that we had work with in a really positive way.
How did you develop the story?
Sophie had a strong sense of the spine of the show and the writers room collectively added flesh and bones to it. It took time and collaboration, but the best things always do.
What was the writing process on the show with the other writers and collaborators?
I bloody loved the writers room. I’ve a huge respect for everyone in it – their skills and expertise. We’d discuss ideas, go off in singles or pairs, write and then come back and pitch. Repeat and repeat until we had it nailed down – then Katie went away and took the helm finishing the final product.
How did you want to blend the narratives of the four founding members with the cast of real-life performers?
We wanted to make sure they felt alive and present – mixing media with live performers can feel sticky, so we wanted to make sure they felt like they were part of the world.
How did you work with other key creatives or departments to bring the show to life?
Big collaboration and discussion – the occasional arm wrestle, but overall we all worked together as fellow artists.
What role do audiences play in the show, and how do they follow the story through the ‘underworld’ created at Deptford Storehouse?
A director once told me, “Until opening night, there’s always one cast member missing: the audience.” Theatre is about complicity between performer and audience – immersive theatre, doubly so. We want them to play and take part, and offer space for that to whatever level they feel comfortable. They wanna jump right in? Have at it! They prefer to watch and observe? That’s great too!
The show is described as one of the UK’s most artistically daring and large scale immersive events. How did you want to push the boundaries of theatre for the show?
Immersive theatre is chock full of IP – TV shows, films, computer games – and while they are enormous fun, we wanted to make something completely original. Something that could show the industry that immersive isn’t just a gimmick. It can tell stories beautifully if used well. It’s a medium that suits certain stories – just like some stories work best as books or plays, some suit immersive and we designed Storehouse with that squarely in mind.
What challenges have you faced bringing the production to life?
Making choices. At some point, you have to kill your darlings and do what’s best for the final show.
What can audiences expect?
Something original, something big, something fun and something though-provoking.
Storehouse runs at Deptford Storehouse from Tuesday, June 4 to Saturday, September 20, 2025. Tickets: Storehouse
Top image: Storehouse Founders Meera Syal, Billy Howle, Kathryn Hunter and Toby Jones. Credit Helen Murray (image supplied)