“I’ll be back. The Terminator gimmick is greeted with a round of shouts and applause. Followed by 130 pairs of eyes, the T-800 made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger comes out of the room to shoot the police who surround the premises of Cyberdyne Systems. A departure that takes place through the corridor of the Pescadero psychiatric hospital. At the end of it, on the left, we fall into the biker bar The Corral where the T-800 has arrived stark naked and bulging pecs. Opposite, the foundry where the T-1000 will perish. On 700 m², in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis), DreamFactory reproduced the sets of Terminator 2 and offer with the show No Fate an immersive cinema experience (3 hours). “The spectators are on the film set and at the same time on stage”, explains Grégoire Nedelcovivi, co-founder and creative director of Dream Factory.
For the actors to find themselves in the middle of 130 people is an exercise in “tightrope walking”, according to Alexis “Terminator” Driollet. “We hear people repeat before us what we are going to say. You have to be very focused. We also perceive all their reactions, they are glued to us ”. This proximity also requires a part of improvisation. “The scenes are set but an actor can be prevented from passing, arrives late, it has a funny side, with suspense”, continues the sculptural actor. “People are so close that you can test things with them,” says Dorit, who plays Sarah Connor. “We feel the benevolence of the public”, underlines Alexis Driollet.
To each spectator, his mission
To apprehend the presence of the public, the 32 actors and actresses of No Fate (two for each role) had “a week of stunts” in addition to rehearsals for texts and travel, “so that they are not afraid of the public, of having people 2 cm away from them and invite them to play”, lists Elza Calmat, co-founder and director of Dream Factory.
Because the public is also an actor. From the boarding hatch before joining the stage, members of the resistance give each spectator a mission. “People are proactive, they participate in creation, says Grégoire Nedelcovivi. Everyone will have their own experience. Indeed the missions spice up the evening, oblige to go talk to the actors, to visit the set but in the end, we do not really know what they are for. Inspired by video games Terminator 2: Judgment Day, they still need to be better integrated into the scenario. Dream Factory draws on spectator feedback to improve the experience night after night No Fate. The company aims to carry out this immersive cinema project until April 2023. “Hasta la vista baby! “, as Terminator would say under the cries and the applause of the spectators.
“No Fate – Terminator 2: Judgment Day”. Tour Orion, 5, rue Kléber in Montreuil (metro Croix de Chavaux). From Thursday to Sunday. Full price: 65 euros, 12-16 years old and student: 50 euros, group (from 5 people): 55 euros.