The lights are dim, the stage is set and the actors are ready to roll! But with the Rock Island Tunnel Co., you’re not just watching the show, you’re in it.

Founded by Director Ben Gougeon in 2023, the Rock Island Tunnel Co. is the first of its kind in the Quad Cities and brings a new type of theater to the community. The company specializes in immersive theater, which gives audiences the opportunity to explore multiple levels of a story in this unique twist to the performing arts through cast members, scenes and settings. 

Junior Jean Tegtmeyer says that Rock Island Tunnel Co. encourages the audience to explore the story and form their own perspectives on the plot as they watch the show.

“There are parts where cast members guide the audience to certain areas so they won’t miss major parts of the plot,” Tegtmeyer said. “But Ben Gougen also keeps it pretty loose and encourages periods of free roaming for the audience. It’s sort of like one of those mystery books in a sense that it’s a very self-led experience. It allowed people to figure out this world and search for hidden clues.”

The Rock Island Tunnel Co.’s last production, “The Stacks,” was a hit for Quad Citizens. With their new production, “Tapes: An Immersive Revolution,” on the rise, senior Emma Watts shares what it takes to create the immersive experience. 

“You need a really good production team,” Watts said. “But you also need a really good creative team. When there’s a story you’re trying to tell, it gets difficult as there are a lot of little branches off the main script. You can’t have just one storyline to tell, you need several in order to make it beneficial for the audience. You can’t just have one actor everyone follows, you want there to be an opportunity to follow several.”

For Augustana students, Rock Island Tunnel Co. has proven to be a chance to further develop their skills as actors and crew in theater. Many Augie students have worked with Director Ben Gougeon in past productions and will be featured in either cast or crew of the company’s next production: “Tapes.”

“There’s a lot of challenges that come with immersive theater,” Watts said. “Unlike theatrical acting where you are twenty feet from the audience, now you’re only maybe two feet from them. You can’t have that expressiveness you would normally have. All of the acting is refined, and you constantly need to be on your toes and ready to react to the audience.”

“Tapes: An Immersive Revolution” will premiere at Moline’s Sound Conservatory on Oct. 11, 2024. Inspired by Richardson’s play, “Tapes from a Fascist State,” the show promises to be a thrilling and exciting chance to explore the story of failed poet Yevhen and his assigned agent Conrad as audiences journey through a dystopian world of battle and tested loyalties. 

“It’s something like you’ve never seen,” Tegtmeyer said. “It’s not the kind of theater where you sit down and think about it afterwards. This time, you’re a part of the story.”