DEAR ESTHER LIVE AT THE BARBICAN

A deserted landscape, memories of a fatal crash, a book written by a dying explorer – explore an island shrouded in mystery in this live performance of videogame Dear Esther.

Starting on a small beach, with only a brooding cliffs and a small lighthouse in view, BAFTA-nominated narrator Oliver Dimsdale takes you through the game, journeying from the desolate Hebridean island to a car crash on the M5, a crisis of faith of a guilty heart, the lost shores of a dreamed shoreline and a final ascent through the waters of madness to the release of flight. With the playthrough of the game on-screen accompanied by live narration and a live performance of BAFTA-winning composer Jessica Curry’s powerful score, the story is brought to life here as never before.

Originally released in 2012, Dear Esther quickly gained critical acclaim for abandoning traditional gameplay in favour of atmosphere, rich storytelling and extraordinary art, proving videogames are capable of the same musical, narrative and artistic expression as film, literature and classical music. Curve Digital have released enhanced PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Dear Esther this autumn to coincide with this new live event.

Dear Esther Live premiered to a sold out crowd at Milton Court Hall at The Barbican in October 2016. It then went on a national tour throughout the UK and is currently touring internationally.

"Jessica Curry’s music is already magical, but having the sounds created before you, allows it to just take flight alongside the game as we are taken once again through the mystery of the island. Hearing the first chord from “I have begun my ascent“ on a Steinway piano, just a few feet away is simply sublime. Every player did an incredible job of expressing each twist and turn, with intertwined emotions as we climbed higher through the caves and up the jagged cliffs." The Sound Architect