Odd Man Out

Presented in English (New York, USA)

IN-PERSON Trinity Prep BlackBox

Produced by PitchBlack Immersive Experiences @oddmanoutnyc

Running time: 90 minutes

Odd Man Out is an immersive experience in complete darkness in which the audience hears, smells, tastes, and feels the story of Alberto, a blind jazz musician traveling home from New York to Buenos Aires after decades of self-exile.

The story is set on the flight back to Buenos Aires, with the audience entering the space as passengers on that flight. As Alberto tells his life stories to his seatmates, we start re-imagining his journey as he perceives it: in complete darkness. We experience his life as a young man in the 1960s in Argentina and then his life journey in New York City. His girlfriend follows him there, but she is ultimately drawn back to Argentina and its troubled politics. We take in these moments in a way most of us have never experienced a story: our ears, noses, skin, and palates are engaged in an immersive journey of love, prejudice, and fears that were left behind.

Because the audience members—our “passengers”—are in complete darkness throughout the entire duration of the flight, the action is experienced through auditory stimulation, tactile objects, tasty treats, and enriched smells. Passengers will even feel the weather occurring around them.

Odd Man Out began at Teatro Ciego in Argentina, with a 15-year history of creating live experiences in complete darkness. The theater company employs artists and technicians with visual disabilities in all its work. Forty percent of the staff and creative teams are made up of individuals living with sight loss.

Directors: Carlos Armesto and Facundo Bogarin

Writer and Director: Martin Bondone

Immersive Audio Designer: Nicolas Alvarez

PG13