The Second Life of the Western
When we look for ideas for our immersive experiences, we do not only take market desires into account, even though that is an important step. Our ideas also come from our own past, our adventures, our desires, and our dreams. It is exactly from there that the idea of creating an immersive experience around the Far West came, and in particular around a little-known aspect of that era: the great urban cities.
In 1998, long before my arrival in France, I was living in San Francisco to follow the Film and Television program at the Academy of Art University. I wanted to write the next hit series, with a unique vision and a screenplay highlighting incredible women. And the city of San Francisco turned out to be all the inspiration I needed.
When we talk about San Francisco, we think of new technologies, the cable car, and cannabis. But the history of this city, which was once known as the “Paris of the West”, is much more complex and full of surprises.
In the mid-19th century, during the gold rush, the population of San Francisco jumped from a hundred people to over 25,000 inhabitants practically overnight. This influx of population, and a police force overwhelmed by the situation, created the explosive mix that we know well: a place where you could shoot a man in the middle of the street without any retribution, but also a place where women were so outnumbered that they had no choice but to sell their bodies to try to survive. The red-light district of San Francisco was called “The Barbary Coast”, the Barbarian Coast, and it was jam-packed with music halls, cabarets, saloons… and of course, brothels.
In 1998, I therefore had in mind to turn this fascinating story into a TV series. The plot revolved around five women trying to rebuild their lives, both literally and figuratively, by setting up their own cabaret after the devastating 1906 earthquake. I saw it as a bold mix between Hell on Wheels and Cabaret, with many singing sessions.
The pitch was very well received, but alas, the series was far too ahead of its time, and the project was never realized. A few years later, I had the idea of turning it into a Broadway-style show… but it was only when I created my own immersive experience company, Eat the Cake Studio, that I had the means to turn my vision into reality.
The Barbary Coast has all the ingredients that our company loves to represent in our productions: strong and bold women who rebel against male domination, a mix of danger and glamour, and a sultry exterior that hides great complexity. Just as the story of Marie Antoinette is much richer than her famous (and false) “Let them eat cake”, the Far West has even more to offer than just saloons and duels on the main square. That is why we called this immersive experience “The Reinvented Far West”, because we intend not only to transport you to the Far West of your dreams, but also to make you discover a whole new world rich with unique stories and strong characters, all with our usual mix of music, drinks, and fun.