David Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar will premier an immersive theater experience in Denver

It’s a neuroscience-inspired journey of self-reflection. So buckle up.

The Denver Performing Arts Complex, Sept. 20, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

The Denver Performing Arts Complex, Sept. 20, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

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If “a journey of self-reflection, discovery and imagination inspired by and grounded in neuroscience” sounds like the experience for you, David Byrne has something for you.

(Yes, the Talking Heads David Byrne.)

With writer Mala Gaonkar, he’s created a 15,000-square-foot immersive theater experience called “Theater of the Mind.” They’re debuting the project in Denver, 16 people at a time.

“Theater of the Mind” comes to town in August 2020 with the support of The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Off-Center, according to a press release. Off-center is an arm of the DCPA dedicated to audience-centric art.

The release also described the experience thusly: “Led by a Guide whose stories are inspired from the creators’ lives, audiences will explore how they perceive the world through sensory experiments that reveal the inner mysteries of the brain.”

“We are so pleased to be premiering ‘Theater of the Mind’ in Denver with such wonderful partners at the DCPA. Off-Center is nationally admired for its immersive work, and they have the skill and experience to bring this complex production to life and the committed audience who will appreciate it,” Byrne said in the release. “I have long had an interest in creating something that incorporated the sensory experiments we often read about in a way that was entertaining and engaging, but still gave people an experience that was visceral and profound.”

There are no official show times and dates yet — at least not publicly available — but you can learn more about the production here while you wait.

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