Audience Takes Control At ‘Extra Lives’ Concert
Ararat Town Hall will become a live, audience-controlled video game on Monday 12 October when the internationally touring Extra Lives: Interactive Video Game Concert arrives in Ararat.
Described as the world’s first Audience RPG[1], the performance combines a narrated choose-your-own-adventure story with live music, sound effects, lighting, and visuals inspired by console games from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
Rather than simply watching the action, audience members become the main character and vote at key moments to decide what happens next. Each decision sends the story along a different path, with multiple endings and more than 60 possible variations.
The musicians respond to the unfolding adventure with a live score, creating a performance that brings together the energy of a concert, the shared fun of a video game, and the unpredictability of interactive theatre.
Ararat Rural City Council Mayor, Cr Bob Sanders, said the event offered the community a rare opportunity to experience an inventive international production close to home. “This is certainly not an ordinary night at the theatre. The audience will be making the decisions, the musicians will be responding in real time, and nobody will know exactly where the story is going to take them,” Mayor Sanders said.
“You don’t need to be an experienced gamer to enjoy this performance. If you appreciate live music, storytelling, comedy, or simply the chance to try something different, there will be plenty here for you. It is terrific to see Ararat included in the tour for such an original production, and I encourage people to gather their fellow adventurers, book their tickets, and come along ready to take control of the story.”
Extra Lives has taken its audience-led adventures to 15 countries across four continents, bringing together gamers and non-gamers through live performance, storytelling, and shared decision-making.
The Ararat performance will be held in the Town Hall foyer from 7.30pm to 9pm on Monday 12 October. Doors open at 7pm, and drinks will be available at bar prices. Tickets can be booked through the Ararat Town Hall website at
ararattownhall.com.au/event/extra-lives-interactive-video-game-concert Booking enquiries can also be made by calling the Town Hall box office on 5355 0900.
[1] RPG stands for role-playing game. An interactive role-playing experience in which the audience becomes the main character and collectively decides what happens next.
