The Arcanists in co-production with Science Art Fusion (ScienceAF) announce the launch of The Internet: LIVE!!1, an inventive new live comedy game show. In it, player-performers bring web content to life with a series of hilarious, impossible challenges inspired by memes, viral videos, and Internet culture of yore. The Internet: LIVE!!1 happens two nights only, January 31 and February 1, 2020, in the heart of Clarendon’s night life at The G.O.A.T. Sports Bar.
The Arcanists created the cult, interactive variety show The Tarot Reading. The Internet: LIVE!!1 is hosted and co-produced by Rachel Pendergrass, founder of ScienceAF, creator of Solve For X, and host of the popular drunk Powerpoint show Nerd Nite DC along with Navid Azeez (frontman for nerdcore bands Helephino and Picnibus and Tarot veteran).
It features Kasha Patel (science journalist and comedienne), Shaq Stewart (former Tarot medium, poet, and rapper), Britt A. Willis (playwright and game designer), and Taylor Winkleman (Nerd Nite DC veteran).
“The Tarot Reading was one of the first artistic projects in the area that I fell in love with,” says co-producer and ScienceAF founder Rachel Pendergrass, “so when they [Arcanists cofounders Quill Nebeker and Alan Katz] wanted to team up, it was an instant yes.
“Science Art Fusion is at the core a communications company. Our philosophy pulls from the disciplines of theater, game design, comedy, film, and other arts to communicate complex, often technical topics. We aim to help scientists not only reach their audience but build a connection with them and improve their lives. That said, I personally have a background in comedy. I studied with Second City, and have written for National Lampoon. The Internet: LIVE!!1 is a marriage of those things, using comedy to talk about the Internet, both from a technical perspective and a cultural one.”
“The Internet is something I’m passionate about,” says Nebeker. “I just got married, and my now-wife and I started our relationship via AOL Instant Messenger. I realize that dates me…” Nebeker laughed. “But that’s the heart of the thing. In the same way that Tarot uses the occult motif to form connections, we set out to make a show that celebrates this weird digital thing that has become a part of who we are. Fans shouldn’t necessarily expect the same sort of intimate, personal stories that happen at Tarot, but they should expect some genuine heart. And, of course, a whole lot of absurd comedy.”
The Internet: LIVE!!1 runs January 31 and February 1, 2020, upstairs at The G.O.A.T. Sports Bar, 3028 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, across the street from the Clarendon Metro. Doors at 6 p.m.; show at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available online.
