One of the great classics of early cinema is 1903’sThe Great Train Robbery. A short ten-minute silent film helped bring together many traditions of early cinema, codifying them in ways that would impact the films that followed. Now,Final Fantasy 14players are adapting the story and showcasing theart of digital theaterwith all the bells and whistles a train robbery deserves.
Writer and director duo Doc Laladay and Penelope “Penny” Lane spoke to Game Rant about taking the stage-to-screen success of The Great Train Robbery to a virtual stage inFinal Fantasy 14with an original score, a script diving into new detail, and roleplayers providing things like catering and ushers for those coming to see it in person.
The Great Train Robbery’s Virtual Theater Debut
Laladay said that when it came time to start a theater company with Lane, the idea of adaptingThe Great Train Robberyjust made so much sense to him. Not only was it originally a play–written by Scott Marble in 1896–but it was so influential as a piece of silent film that its legacy can be seen in other classics likeGoodfellas. Plus, as a Doc Holiday pastiche, a Western had a certain appeal. As Laladay explained,
“Wyatt Earp and other luminaries from the old west were still alive when it was filmed in 1903…Also, being a silent film, it presents an opportunity to explore key questions through a play. For example,The Great Train Robberybegins with the robbers holding up the telegraph operator. But what happened before that? Without any spoilers, the first act of the play explores questions as to motivation. Why are the robbers doing this? What is their motivation? How do they plan to do this and get away with it? What is motivating these people to do this that goes beyond just wanting an easy payday? Who are these people who are willing to risk it all to rob a train?”
The narrative Laladay and Lane are preparing for audiences is not directly connected to Marble’s play, but rather their own attempts to answer the questions left open by the silent film. However, Laladay stressed it’s important for them to be respectful of the original work. They intend to answer these questions across two performances, each distinctively thanks to the improvisation that is required ofFinal Fantasy 14’s active and lively roleplaying community.
Laladay and Lane are still casting for the May performances, with the final audition onSunday, February 23 at 7:30 pm ETheld atDiabolos’ Huckleberry Saloon–Lavender Beds Ward 29 Plot 36. The cast list is expected on March 1. Cast members will get to experienceworkshops and rehearsalsleading up to the curtain rising in May.
The Ever-Evolving Final Fantasy 14 Theater Scene
Virtual theater itself is an exciting evolution of the traditional performing arts experience. Live productions have occasionally been filmed and broadcast before, though compared to the scope of stage performance this has always been a small fraction of even the highest-profile plays. Virtual theater not only brings the play to a different audience, but it also remixes art inside of art–using a video game as a medium for presenting a play.
For years, the players ofFinal Fantasy 14have been providing theatrical performances. There’s the ShakespeareanA Stage Reborntheater group, the playwrights of theCurtain Calltheater group, and the hole-in-the-wall vibe ofSnowfall Theater, among many, many others. Laladay and Lane are the latest evolving the art form, but are far from the first.
Like Curtain Call, Laladay and Lane are penning their own script forThe Great Train Robbery, and like Snowfall, they are ensuring roleplaying services are available to make the experience live, on the scene, as immersive as possible for attendees. Of course, they’ll also be streaming the performances. As these virtual theater companies inspire one another, theexperience of attending a performancebuilds. Naturally, then, Laladay and Lane are adding their own layer to the show, as Lane explained:
“We wanted it to feel real and be a fun opportunity for people in the community to show off their talents. I helped enlist Dizzy Shasha–my bandmate in The Drama Club–to write an original theme, and it’s taking off from there to be a full score. K’arleen Winters, another musician with the band The OMNI, will be playing some original music as well during our intermission. Set design will be by Lexa Frost. Her venue is House of Seoul, and she’s in the band Gorilla Fist. She has a real talent for housing design.”
The duo also highlighted others who were working to bringThe Great Train Robberyto (digital) life: the roleplaying company Bandee Pakshee, the roleplayer and designer Cinnamon Button, the streaming partnership with Aethercon, a VIP program by Ley Lines, an afterparty by DJ Yams, and of course, those of the Empyreum of Arts–the venue for the performance. It’s safe to say thatThe Great Train Robberywill reflect far more than the performers themselves, bringing together a wide swath ofthe broaderFinal Fantasy 14community.
Laladay, in particular, is no stranger to that kind of large-scale collaboration. He serves as one of the organizers of Mogstock, theannual summertime tribute to Woodstockthat brings together musicians and roleplayers for one of the ‘big three’ weekend festivals the roleplaying community is known for (the others being A Feast Reborn in October and the Great Ishgardian Frostfaire in December). He also organized a Dancefest, highlighting the game’s synchronized macro dancing community, that ran on February 22.
“We hope to raise at least 200 million gil through VIP tickets and donations. There will be 10 VIP tickets per night, at 10 million gil each. We have some fun and interactive ideas for our VIPs, sort of like being a part of the show type-thing at a murder mystery dinner theater? But no spoilers! We plan to retain 20% of all VIP ticket sales and gil donations to reimburse ourselves and the designer for the cost of furnishings and things like advertising. The rest of the gil will be shared with the cast and crew with specific amounts determined later. If you’d like to be a VIP or a donor to help fund the event, please reach out to doclaladay on Discord.”
Streamed by Aethercon and held in-person at the Empyreum of Arts,the performances will take place on May 10 and May 11, beginning at 4 pm PT/7 pm ET.
