In the Twenty Sided Tavern, narrative choices are determined by two things: the roll of a die and an interactive app in the hands of the audience. (

How Dungeons & Dragons is taking over the theatre, from the Sydney Opera House to Liveworks Festival

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2024-10-17 14:00:10

In the Twenty Sided Tavern, narrative choices are determined by two things: the roll of a die and an interactive app in the hands of the audience. (Supplied: Daniel Rader )

Imagine stepping onto the stage of the Sydney Opera House, ready to act in a live performance, but with no idea about how it's going to unfold.

It sounds like a literal nightmare for most people, but live action role-playing performed in front of an audience, built around tabletop games, is taking over theatres around the world.

This style of performance not only puts an element of randomness into each show, but can put control of the narrative into the hands of the audience.

Broadway producer David Carpenter is the co-creator of The Twenty-Sided Tavern, which opens at the Sydney Opera House in December. It's a show that turns the role-playing board game Dungeons & Dragons into interactive theatre.

He says he was inspired to make the show by his love of video games: "I've been a video gamer my whole life, and I love replaying video games."