Wilfred Bagshaw Time Emporium
So it totally turns out if you go to Shoreditch on an evening when the stars are shining and the moon is full, you can be transported back in time to say 1381?
So after convincing 4 unsuspecting chums this would be a good idea, we saw this as a chance to don our best medieval outfits (any excuse to dust off my horse riding clothes) and go for what seemed to be a mix of immersive theatre and erm clubbing.
So on the 24th March 2013 after a alcohol sponging dinner of Iceland pizza, five of us headed to The Village Underground[1] to visit Wilfred Bagshaws Time Emporium.
Our prior knowledge was sketchy. We blindly paid our £25 and received one cryptic email. This contained the standard location, dress code etc. Plus a little information on 1300’s. Well the Plague era is like totally my favourite time period, lots of turmoil and social upheaval so I was game already.
We were greeted by a happy chappy whom informed us of our quest. To protect a posh chap (head of some sort of army) John of Gaunt from his killer and SAVE THE UNIVERSE. Basically one of 3 factions (army, church and peasants) would be responsible for his death (I know tense writing confusion), we had to infiltrate them and discover who it was. So our quest began by climbing from 2013 into a silver wormhole (far too uncoordinated for this….) and falling out the other side. Here we were met by the butcher, who sent us on our merry way into 1381.
The whole evening was pretty damn cool. They had arranged the club into stalls and tents all medieval-ly. Our missions ranged from robbing/earning cloaks from the different factions (you were NOT cool unless you had one), to bartering with the apothecary for herbs (apparently you can’t sell your friends for sex…) and being treated for the plague (I had loaves of bread stuck under my arms) or syphilis by the doctor. Wilfred Bagshaw (the time lord) would pop up on the wall every so often and give us some direction.
Everyone was proper jolly and really interesting to chat to. There was a generous dollop of good hearted innuendo (the only evening I have openly told people I have syphilis…) and some interesting ale (definitely smelt like sweet and sour sauce…). Some people got proper into it and to be honest the more you went with it and got involved the more fun you had! The best part was you met all these new chaps & chapesses, had a good old chin wag, then got to go clubbing with them. Plus as it the whole idea is relatively new you got to chat with the guys that hosted the event. It was amazing for people interaction.
My evening specifically? There were some outstanding characters. A drunk posh chap whose friends had to stifle his cheering, trying to sell Athena to a street trader for some ‘herbs’, having to ask a girl if she was ‘Matilda the whore’, trying to convince an actor from secret cinema that he knew me (give him his due he kept in character!) and a 6’8″ Australian dog washer who thought himself quite the ladies man (I don’t think stealing ones bag is the best chat up line) but a nice ginger bearded chap managed to save me from that minefield are just a handful of many. I’ve met some people that I would now firmly call my friends (Golly I sound like a right sap)
Conclusion!? Although it sounds suspiciously like LARPING[2] when you explain the evening to others, I will be attending any other events that these guys put on, I thoroughly recommend it. A lot of work went into the evening and it showed. Never have I enjoyed wearing a cloak and poncing around in breeches more.
And the best bit?
There’s another!
This time 1893, Chicago World Fair. I’ll see you there fellow time traveller 🙂
London Love
xoxoxo
Tickets are available at: http://www.time-emporium.com/
4th – 15th September 2013, £35
Tags:
#immersivetheatre, #villunderlondon, #timeemporium, #shoreditch, Inshoreditch, Live action role-playing game, John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, #LARPING, #clubbing, #plague
By Abi G
@Gollumcrackcorn
