The secrets of the hit immersive series you shouldn’t tell anyone about

I’m in a hotel in Soho, London, talking about mental breakdowns with Olivier Award-nominated immersive theater creators Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd. The mantra of two best friends is “Keep moving” and they managed to keep each other company, You, me, boom, boom, train, for 20 years I have experienced trauma, blockades, periods of lack of funds, and now, 19 days before the premiere, the construction of the plan is delayed by three weeks.

You, me, boom, boom, train is the most popular immersive series that no one is allowed to talk about. (And no, the name doesn’t mean anything – Bond came up with that term for the image before the company was conceptualized.) I signed two NDAs, one for my role as a volunteer on the show and one for I’m a journalist, and the only thing I can reveal is probably that the building is arranged on several floors. I’m not even sure if I’m allowed to reveal that I was even there. However, despite all its secrecy, it is extremely popular.

The premise is that one viewer, or “passenger”, travels alone through multiple scenes involving a group of performers, sometimes a large crowd. These scenes, which last from one to five minutes, are incredibly realistic, so you get the impression that you are transported to a moment in someone else’s life. The passenger must respond as best he can to each new scenario he is thrown into. It’s called a life-changing program.

Ruby wax he credits it with relieving his depression, calling it “the best therapy.” Stephen Fry he called it “the theatrical experience of my life.” Volunteers regularly describe the experience as “transformative”: one volunteer left his stale marriage, one lawyer became a comedian, another approached his wife at a theater bar.

Said one of the volunteers who was homeless YMBBT helped him change his life. “He was someone who was invisible and then volunteered and was recognized and thanked and included,” Lloyd says. “He started working for a charity that rehabilitated homeless people across the country.”

“Truly magical” is how Bond describes the volunteer community. “My perspective has changed in recent years. I realized that it (community) is more important than the show.

Currently, there is a risk that the series may not be ready on time. YMBBT Starting November 26, it will host 77 players per day for 33 nights, with approximately 20,000 volunteers taking part in the game. The number is currently around 7,500, so more volunteers are needed to help make the event happen.

If you’re on the fence, as a theater critic I’ve attended countless shows, and this one is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Free volunteer work has nothing to do with making money either, YMBBT is a non-profit organization – Bond and Lloyd have only relatively recently even been paid.

“We started getting paid in 2015. That’s more than enough,” says Lloyd, who, along with Bond, was previously on Universal Credit. “I don’t think people are impressed with what we’re being paid these days, but after 12 years of living on £56 a week you feel like a millionaire.”

In the past, there have been critical voices regarding, among others, YMBBT they don’t pay actors and volunteers, but Lloyd and Bond say the ticket (£99 for this production) would cost around £6,000 if they paid all the volunteers, so economically it just couldn’t work – the audience to actor ratio is everything is wrong. Volunteers receive certified training if they wish to do so.

Money has always been a problem. YMBBT has not received funding from the Arts Council this year or received funding from the Cultural Recovery Fund after a planned performance in 2020 was canceled due to lockdowns. It was thanks to a group of wealthy patrons that they were able to develop further. In 2015 and 2016, when they broke even, they organized free performances for people in palliative care and NHS key workers. They also donated 120,000 to War Child.

All of this, coupled with the fact that Bond and Lloyd are the sole idea creators, means there’s a lot to contend with. And on the subject of mental health.

Bond was isolated for three weeks after losing his mind, and Lloyd experienced burnout for two years. “Being mad is the loneliest and scariest place to be,” says Bond, “because you’re alone and all your worst nightmares are completely real. But it’s almost like a privilege, in a strange way. Morgan (Lloyd) always says that every experience is learned through contrast and context, so whenever I need to appreciate my present moment, I think back to that time. It’s a great honor for me to not be angry.”

The idea that we know every experience through contrast is what it is Boom Boom Train it works too. As a passenger, you have all the contrasts of life compressed into this short, hour-long experience and you leave feeling like you can handle anything. This experience is generated by these two people, their friendship and what they have experienced together. After meeting for Fresh Week at Brighton Art School in 2003, all they knew from then on was a crazy train journey – this was their life’s work.

I was a passenger at their last show in 2015. Again, I can’t say too much, but there was one scene that will always stick in my mind where I was forced to question my worth as a human being. I was treated like I had no rights, and that was a brilliant part of creating empathy. There were also moments that made me feel like I was on top of the world – it’s electrifying. That’s what driving is all about.

This year I volunteered to do a few preview nights and did my first rehearsal for one of the scenes before I even worked on it. Our group of volunteers practiced projecting feelings of positivity, warmth and love into space. It was good to know that we would be offering a bit of magic to those lucky few who managed to get tickets – they sell out faster than Glastonbury.

If you want to get a taste of this program for yourself, you can now only do so by volunteering. Trust me, it’s no less effective. I love volunteering, it gives me a great sense of community and purpose. It’s also great to see the effect your scene has on the passenger – everyone reacts differently.

“It’s really rare to go anywhere to experience something interesting and not pay for it and feel welcome. I know we require something from volunteers, but they can leave at any time and they can give as much time as they want,” says Lloyd.

People make lifelong friendships with the volunteer community and realize they can do more than they ever thought possible. If you want to join, no volunteers will be turned away. We are now approaching the stage of “refining” the scenography. They are looking for more volunteers for this and for the show itself – even if you can only commit to one evening. Plus, there’s a great bar waiting for everyone after the concert.

“This is not a financially motivated project. It has to do with being alive, connecting with people and creating something special,” says Morgan. Come on board and you’ll have the opportunity to see all the amazing things we can’t tell you about.

Volunteering at Boom Boom Train