Inspired by choose-your-own-adventure video and board games, the team behind Save The Princess has created something truly unique that gives theatrical audiences a sense of ownership and responsibility over the storyline on stage. Using an online web application to play the game (no need to download anything!), Save the Princess offers multiple possible worlds to explore and endings to the play.
We spoke to writer and co-director Esther Joy Mackay to find out more…
https://camdenfringe.com/events/save-the-princess/
How are you? Please introduce yourself and your connection to the show…
Hey! I’m Esther and I’m the show’s writer, co-director and I play the role of Princess Plum. I’m also the founder and Artistic Director of The UnDisposables theatre company.
Can you tell us a bit more about the show itself?
Save the Princess is a live action video game. The audience use their phones to make key choices that literally change the plot in front of them. Everything is 100% scripted apart from which choices the audience make – think Bandersnatch or a choose-your-own-adventure book.
The story follows Princess Plum, a damsel-in-distress who becomes an accidental protagonist after glitching out of her video game homeworld. She goes on a journey across the gaming multiverse meeting a whole host of comical and mysterious characters as she attempts to find freedom. The audience takes control over Plum’s big decisions, and depending on what they choose she may face zombies, fuzzy animal villagers or even footballers. But not everything is as it seems and there are six possible endings Plum can face. Will she find her freedom? That really depends on how you play it.
How did you come up with the original concept?
This show has been my baby for nearly 3 years. I originally came up with the concept when applying for a writing contest, and then I couldn’t stop thinking of possibilities for where it could go. I’m a huge gamer myself. I love Mario and Zelda games but the princess characters are sometimes a little bit…2D. I had this idea that I could take a stereotypical damsel and thrust her into these environments where she could adapt, but also leave it up to the audience to see what they wanted to do with her.
In 2019 I wrote another choose-your-own-adventure play ‘The Jailer’s Daughter’, which was more like a reality tv show on stage than a game and had a far simpler branching timeline. The atmosphere of having the audience involved in the show via these choices was electric, and I knew I had to do it again, but this time make it even bigger.
The branching timeline for ‘Save the Princess’ is a bit mad… I’ve lost many hours pouring over the 120 page script for what is actually only a 55 minute play. But whenever I get lost in the weeds I have my brilliant company members Grace, Gabi and Tom to pull me out and remind me that really, it’s all just a lot of fun. We’ve had such a laugh parodying our favourite video games and playing with the choices in rehearsals so that we’re not pushing the audience in any certain direction (although most of the time people will still choose to take a gun rather than leave it…). All in all, I can’t wait to share the joy of this show with a live audience and put all our hard work into action.
What do you see for the future of the show?
I have high hopes. We’re in talks with a few venues about touring the show to regional theatres, and also looking to take it into nerdy spaces like expos and conventions. I’d love to do a long run in London if the appetite is there, and perhaps take it back up to Edinburgh Fringe? We did a limited run in 2023 but the script has had some important touch ups since then, so it would be amazing to go up there for the full month if we can get the backing!
Anything else?
Don’t worry! You do not need to be a video game nerd like me to enjoy this show! Although if you are you’ll probably chuckle at my nerdy puns and niche references. But the experience of ‘Save the Princess’ is for anyone who wants to laugh, play and wonder ‘what if things had gone differently…’
Where can we get tickets?
https://camdenfringe.com/events/save-the-princess/
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