In this classical vampire story, an encounter will take place between the human and the beast. This will however take many different forms. Some will encounter the dark creature as non-human coldness, refined and elegant, yet deadly as a machine that operates without compassion. Others will meet it as a gruesome animal with untamed and violent desires. Yet again, everything can be transformed by love… In short, the roleplay is about being caught by a hungry gaze, the courtship which follows and the final violent resolution of the story. At its core, it is about wildness, flesh and the mechanisms of desire, violence, submission and resistance.

Participants play in pairs; one as the vampire and the other as the prospective victim. In this way, several versions of the story will take place simultaneously. For each version of this dark tale, the beast will be manifested differently, and the victim might not be a victim at all. It is in many ways a very physical game; however, the level of touch will be up to the players to decide. During the game, there will be a voice-over guiding the players and giving instructions.

Before the game, players will do physical exercises, as well as prepare the characters they wish to play. This includes deciding on what kind of vampire they want to explore (from the gentleman to the beast) as well as the characteristics of the so-called “victim”.

The roleplay is played in three acts: 1) The Gaze, 2) The Encounter, and 3) The Resolution. Each act will take approximately 20 min. In between the acts, some other activities will also take place.

Red light is used to indicate when an act is coming to an end and an intensification of the scene should take place. Light, music and sounds are also used to enhance the game.

Desire – Violence – Love

The Gaze of the Beast is a physical Blackbox scenario. It is a classical vampire story, in which an encounter will take place between the human and the beast. It involves a three-act structure of being caught by a hungry gaze, the courtship which follows and the final violent resolution of the story. At its core, the play explores the mechanisms of power and desire.

Participants play in pairs; one as the vampire and the other as the prospective victim. In this way, several versions of the story will take place simultaneously in the room. For each version, the beast will be manifested differently, and the victim might not be a victim at all.

The setting for the play is a park bench. Here is where the vampire approaches its prospective victim. Each park bench will be lit up by a spotlight. In the end of each act the light will change from blue to red to indicate that an intensification of the play should take place.

Before the game, players will be guided through exercises to prepare, as well as to work on their characters. As the game can get physical, the level of touch between players will be addressed in exercises before the game. Players should be safe to know that the game can be played perfectly well with only a minimum of touch.

Music, sounds, and if possible, smoke will be used to enhance the game. Players are asked to come in black cloths and if possible to bring their favourite red lipstick