Bring The Come Bargain Trilogy To Life In 2025

Dear all,

Things are getting increasingly hectic over here in the land of Uncanny Things. Mostly because this show is starting to become a bunch of other people's business, and that's a lovely place to be. So... who are those people, and what are they doing?

Design: Dr Charley Ipsen

For those of you who came to Come Bargain With Uncanny Things in 2022, you'll be familiar with Charley's incredible work transforming a London pub into a atmosphere that shifted from warm modernity to something just beyond the edge of reality as you drew closer to the Uncanny Thing.

And they're back! We've been having a blast discussing how we're going to bring the two new parts of the Trilogy to life,  adapt Come Bargain to a new space, and make sure that the things we're keeping are even better.

The eagle-eyed long-timers will also notice that Charley has a fancy new title in their name. Quoting the programme from last time, all that "research into the mechanisms of visual memory, perception, and psychotic experiences" that helped make a world on the edge of reality? It has now become a doctorate in Health Neuroscience from Cambridge.

Merchandise: Various

When the general public come to the Trilogy, we hope they'll have an experience they'll want to remember forever. The kind of experience where they might want to, for example, obtain a memento. A memento, for example, that costs a not unreasonable amount of money before they leave the venue.

At the moment, we're looking at some lovely enamel badges, mugs, and a custom card deck like one we use in the show. There's also the possibility of hand-made jewellery.

To be clear: this would be another adaptation of an in-world prop, the iconic tooth bracelet. Distinctive, eye-catching, and with an 100% success rate at stopping people sitting next to you on the bus.

What else might you want to pick up at the end of a show? Books from the world of the show? Strange dolls? Posters? As ever, when it comes to "what do people into this sort of show want?", I'll turn to you.

Venue: Nearly!

What I can say is this: we have pencilled-in dates with the venue, and the only reason I'm not naming it is because until the contract's signed, I don't want to risk anything.

But it's an amazing central London space, atmospheric, and well-suited to the world of the Uncanny Things. I really like the building management, it's wheelchair accessible (I've been doing some extra funding applications to cover that), and I think they really 'get' the show.

Once the contract's signed, we'll be recruiting and advertising, so stay tuned. Hopefully, this side of Christmas we'll be able to share some very good news with you all.

For now, I hope you all have a wonderful festive season.

Take care,

Leo Doulton

Artistic Director, Virtually Opera