MARCH '14

PROJECT 02

And Then There Were None

THE ORIGINAL MURDER MYSTERY

BROOKLYN, NY

THE EXPERIMENT
To adapt a classic novel into an immersive show, accurately capturing the feel and experience of the original.

THE BRIEF

An RTB original, And Then There Were None was an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic horror novel of the same name. Arguably the greatest murder mystery ever, and the basis for so many stories since (Clue, anyone?), ATTWN follows the arrival of 10 individuals to a secluded island manor at the mysterious invitation of an unknown host. Soon, the revelation occurs that each guest has a sordid past and when one by one they begin to die off, suspicion, panic, and paranoia set in.

ATTWN was historically adapted to a stage play, but the original morbid ending was changed and replaced with something a little too Hollywood. So, RTB transcribed the entirety of the novel’s text and broke down the book’s plot into a story-grid structure tracking simultaneous action. Maintaining the brutal everybody-dies original ending kept audience members riveted until who-dun-it was revealed with a stunning candlelit finale.

The performance location was kept secret until the moment of the show as guests began their late-night quest according to various ticket-tiers. Lower priced tickets saw guests meeting a character to ride the subway, others took cabs, and 2 guests per show were escorted up the West Side Highway in a stretch limo with a personalized flask full of whiskey.

All guests converged within a 10-minute window to witness the gates of Woodlawn cemetery creak open after hours (1am) for a flashlit escort up the winding path.

The full spring moon hanging above the chapel house in the middle of the cemetery was an exquisite sight. Inside, multiple floors were transformed into a living room, dining room, parlors and bedrooms. A certain power was revealed by combining theatrical set design and the outdoor natural world. The warm glow of the house burning outward into the night with an unstoppable wave of carnage unfolding within created a feeling of suspense that left nowhere feeling safe. Fun fact: the chapel house basement housed Woodlawn’s functional crematorium.