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Five-Hour D&D-Inspired Play ‘Initiative’ Opens at The Public to Strong Early Reviews

Early reviews commend its ambitious, emotionally clear, five-hour immersion.

Overview

  • Initiative began performances at New York City’s Public Theater on Nov. 20 and is scheduled to run through Dec. 7.
  • Written by Else Went and directed by Emma Rosa Went, the play uses a Dungeons & Dragons campaign as the structural and emotional frame for a 2000–2004 coming-of-age story.
  • The ensemble—Olivia Rose Barresi, Greg Cuellar, Harrison Densmore, Carson Higgins, Andrea Lopez Alvarez, Jamie Sanders, and Christopher Dylan White—stages each in-game year as its own act.
  • The production leans on lighting, sound, video, and costume to create an immersive ‘theater of the mind’ while keeping the Dungeon Master–led gameplay visible.
  • Critics praise the work’s ambition, ensemble performances, and emotional intelligence, with notes on its marathon length, and early roundups report a strong overall reception.