The Use of Actors in a game can yield a wide range of results. On one side of the spectrum, an Actor may be a teenager in a rubber mask, trying their best to stay in character between text messages. But on the other side, an Actor could be the secret recipe to take a compelling storyworld and transport it seamlessly into the realm of pure immersion. When executed artfully, the Use of Actors can turn a great game into an unforgettable one, creating cinematic moments that leave guests feeling like the star in their own Hollywood blockbuster.
Escape Authority is honored to announce our 2019 Keys To Greatness – Best Use of Actors winners:
Paradiso: Chapter 1
Paradiso
(New York, NY)
All great award shows have their posthumous honors. It seems not only fitting to include at least one in our acknowledgement of the vast greatness in our industry, but also almost necessary to include this one when discussing Best Use of Actors. Paradiso, which sadly has ended its run, was unquestionably a pioneer in genre of Actors in our industry. The first true blending of Escape Games with honest to goodness Immersive Theater, Paradiso not only wrote the book on the subject but surpassed many other attempts to follow in the industry since. With multiple actors, an intricate narrative that cast guests as the star detectives, twists, turns and surprises around every corner, Paradiso leaves behind a hole in our industry that won’t soon be easy to fill. Moreover, Paradiso’s actors played vital roles in several challenges throughout the experience, making them as much living puzzles as they were ambiance.
Click here to read our full review of Paradiso: Chapter 1.
Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge
(Forest Park, IL)
Easily in the conversation for Most Original Theme and Best Hint System, Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge opens Door #3 to win a well-earned accolade for Best Use of Actor. Escape Factor embraces the light-hearted TV challenge aesthetic by casting its actor as, you guessed it, a Game Show Host! Over the course of the sixty minutes to follow, the Host truly brings Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge to life, cracking jokes, offering commentary, and even acting as a brilliantly in-character hint system, all with microphone in hand (of course!)
Click Here to read our full review of Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge.
The Courtyard
(Sylmar, CA)
The Basement has dominated ratings across the board since its debut early in the arrival of the Escape Game genre to the United States. With each chapter, they’ve found unique ways to set whole new bars, with two of its games being viable contenders for Best Use of Actors. While The Study perhaps invents the notion of an Actor physically being used as an actual puzzle in the game, it’s The Courtyard that transcends that concept to a whole other level. Every piece of Edward Tandy’s life is degraded into some twisted puzzle, and unfortunately for them, the Actor portraying Quinn is no exception – quite literally becoming a challenge in a warped game come to life. Equal parts adrenaline pumping and psychologically scaring, The Courtyard makes its Actor the star of the show for a reason you may never otherwise expect, and does it in a way that may haunt some guests well after escaping the infamous Tandy Compound once and for all.
Our full review of The Courtyard will be posting soon.
Congratulations to our winners of the first ever Keys To Greatness – Best Use of Actors award!
With nearly 1,000 games played across the site, being picked as one of the best three in the country is a well-earned honor to truly be proud of!
With so many deserving games worthy of recognition, our goal is to ensure these Keys To Greatness awards are attainable to all – not just those with blockbuster budgets that might be otherwise out of reach. As such, it’s important to note that with just one exception, a given game can only win in a single category – but every game will still be qualified to win the coveted Keys To Greatness – Best Game award on June 2, 2019.
*Although the games I’ve personally designed are consistently very highly rated by both enthusiasts and newer players alike, I cannot in good conscience nominate an attraction I created. As such, those games and the venues that call them home have been intentionally omitted from consideration for any Keys To Greatness award.
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