FARMINGTON – Farmington Underground has partnered with the Maine Play Museum to create its newest interactive activity for families. Enchanted Realms is a show which asks families to help fairy tale characters complete quests by solving puzzles within their own homes. The show takes place entirely over Zoom, integrating virtual resources and live entertainment.
“I’ve been wanting to create something specifically for families for a while now,” said Farmington Underground owner Joe Musumeci. “It’s less of a show with a live audience and more like an interactive scavenger hunt. But there’s a story too. So, it’s a story, a show, and an adventure. It’s a blend of all of these things.”
Musumeci collaborated with staff at the Maine Play Musuem to try and include a variety of activities that children of many ages would enjoy. The project came together as a way to offer something new for families to do within the safety of their own homes.
“It was fun to discuss different ideas for the show. We know it’s a new concept and is a little experimental. But if it goes well, we might continue to do this kind of thing together in the future,” said Musumeci.
Families sign up to “travel” from room to room, each room within the show dedicated to a different fairy tale character, performed by a local actor, who will provide them with puzzles and ask the family to assist them in different ways. Each character activity is designed to last 5-15 minutes and there are multiple activities assigned to each room. The puzzles often require families to utilize everyday household objects to complete tasks. Some place an emphasis on engineering or science and mathematics games, asking families to build something within a set amount of time, but others are more artistic or home-based. For instance, one task asks families to bake a mug cake in order to help one of the fairy tale characters.
“The thought is that all the characters live in the same realm, so their stories are intertwined, but families still get the chance to have that one-on-one time with each character to complete those tasks,” said Musumeci.
Families have the choice of which rooms they enter and are given a list of the activities they’ll be asked to complete in each room and what supplies they’ll need prior to the night of the show. This allows families the time to acquire the necessary materials for whatever rooms they choose.
“I hope that families learn new ways of working together as a team and gives them a chance to collaborate and invent together,” said Musumeci.
Enchanted Realms will be offered on March 13 and April 10. Families can either purchase a standard ticket for $35, giving them an interactive show lasting an hour and a half, or a VIP ticket for $55 which gives them 2 and a half hours. Showtimes are 2 p.m. for the standard ticket holders and 1 p.m. for the VIP ticket holders.
