Josh Czarda and Christina Pearlman are the owners of Reveler Immersive Experiences. (BizSense file)
Looking to shake up the escape room concept, a pair of veteran local operators have set the stage for a new theatrical game venue in Carytown.
Reveler Immersive Experiences is slated to open in mid-January at 3108 W. Cary St., taking the remaining portion of the space formerly occupied by home goods store Ruth & Ollie.
Reveler will offer eight so-called Renaissance Rooms for players to experience interactive and theatrical adventures that feature challenges to be worked out.
Co-owner Josh Czarda likened Reveler to Sleep No More, an immersive theater production and adaption of Macbeth in which audience-goers move through rooms to experience the play.
With Reveler, he and co-owner Christina Pearlman hope to create a game concept that’s distinct from the escape room experience. Czarda and Pearlman’s Ravenchase Adventures also operates Gnome & Raven in Stony Point Fashion Park as well as Escape Room RVA in Tuckahoe.
Reveler Immersive Experiences plans to open in January at 3108 W. Cary St. (Jack Jacobs photo)
“We’re calling them Renaissance Rooms. They’re not escape rooms but it’s a curated and probably different experience than what anyone has done before,” he said. “You’re not trapped in a room. It’s more educational and a more theatrical experience.”
Each hour-long session is limited to four-person groups, and the sessions play out in three 20-minute segments. First, a team gets an overview of the narrative related to the adventure at hand in a lounge. Then the team completes a private activity before it joins other teams to complete a larger collaborative challenge.
Reveler will charge a flat rate of $150 per session. Only people 18 years old or older can embark on Reveler adventures, and reservations are required. Czarda expects to have five to 10 employees at Reveler.
Reveler will be neighbors to Harrisonburg bag company Lineage, which opened in the other part of the former Ruth & Ollie space last month.
Josh Czarda and Christina Pearlman are the owners of Reveler Immersive Experiences. (BizSense file)
Looking to shake up the escape room concept, a pair of veteran local operators have set the stage for a new theatrical game venue in Carytown.
Reveler Immersive Experiences is slated to open in mid-January at 3108 W. Cary St., taking the remaining portion of the space formerly occupied by home goods store Ruth & Ollie.
Reveler will offer eight so-called Renaissance Rooms for players to experience interactive and theatrical adventures that feature challenges to be worked out.
Co-owner Josh Czarda likened Reveler to Sleep No More, an immersive theater production and adaption of Macbeth in which audience-goers move through rooms to experience the play.
With Reveler, he and co-owner Christina Pearlman hope to create a game concept that’s distinct from the escape room experience. Czarda and Pearlman’s Ravenchase Adventures also operates Gnome & Raven in Stony Point Fashion Park as well as Escape Room RVA in Tuckahoe.
Reveler Immersive Experiences plans to open in January at 3108 W. Cary St. (Jack Jacobs photo)
“We’re calling them Renaissance Rooms. They’re not escape rooms but it’s a curated and probably different experience than what anyone has done before,” he said. “You’re not trapped in a room. It’s more educational and a more theatrical experience.”
Each hour-long session is limited to four-person groups, and the sessions play out in three 20-minute segments. First, a team gets an overview of the narrative related to the adventure at hand in a lounge. Then the team completes a private activity before it joins other teams to complete a larger collaborative challenge.
Reveler will charge a flat rate of $150 per session. Only people 18 years old or older can embark on Reveler adventures, and reservations are required. Czarda expects to have five to 10 employees at Reveler.
Reveler will be neighbors to Harrisonburg bag company Lineage, which opened in the other part of the former Ruth & Ollie space last month.