Worlds in Play is a gathering of play practitioners—game and theatre artists—exploring new forms of agency in storytelling and experience.

Allerton Park & Retreat CenterMonticello, Illinois

August 4-8, 2025

Register Now

Rooms at Allerton Park & Retreat Center are now fully booked.

There are several off-site lodging options in Monticello, just a short drive from Allerton. One option is the Best Western Monticello Gateway Inn (15 minutes away), where a group block has been reserved for Worlds in Play attendees at the same rate as the Allerton rooms. You can access that rate here.

FAQ

Share works in progress, playtest new ideas, and exchange hands-on practices with your peers.

Worlds in Play is a shared playground where artists invite one another into works-in-progress to explore new forms of agency in storytelling and experience. Through workshops, playtests, games, demos, performances, presentations, and other custom participatory formats, artists experiment in real-time, iterating in community with peers who have gathered in the spirit of curiosity.

The gathering brings together a vibrant spectrum of practices, including and beyond: Alternate Reality Games (ARGs), immersive theatre, Live Action Role Playing Games (larp), social practice, performance art, XR, Tabletop Role Playing Games, ritual, and party.

Learn more about last year’s event

Objectives

Host collective studio visit for participatory practitioners to experiment and exchange practices.

Incubate adventurous artistic projects at various stages of life cycles.

Prototype innovative and sustainable models for producing participatory work.

Bolster the development of transdisciplinary fields centered around play.

Host collective studio visit for participatory practitioners to experiment and exchange practices.

Incubate adventurous artistic projects at various stages of life cycles.

Prototype innovative and sustainable models for producing participatory work.

Bolster the development of transdisciplinary fields centered around play.

Artists

The 2025 artist lineup will feature practitioners who are reshaping how we gather, play, and make meaning together.

In addition to the official programming, all participants will have opportunities to share work and playtest ideas through intentionally designed open blocks in the schedule.

Aaron Landsman Multidisciplinary Artist ThinAar Studio, Princeton University, Perfect City

AfroRithm Futures Group Co-Founders and Afrofuturist Worldbuilders Fathomers, Stanford d.school, Institute For The Future, Long Now Foundation

Alejandro Tey Theatre Maker, Associate Artistic Director Mixed Blood Theatre

Alex CoulombeStudio Head Agile Lens

Alexander Devriendt
Theatre Director Ontroerend Goed

Angela WashkoMedia Artist, Game Designer, Educator Catherine B. Heller Professor of Art & Design and the Director of the MFA Program at University of Michigan

April SoetarmanArtist & Creative Director

Arlo Howard Interactive Theatre & Game Maker

Brandon PowersDirector & Choreographer

Caro MurphyExperience Designer, Educator

Celia PearceGame and Experience Designer Northeastern University, Playable Theatre, IndieCade

The Fourcast LabDesign Collective The University of Chicago

Jeff and Andy CrockerExperiential Theatre Makers
Mister and Mischief

Jessica CreaneInteractive and Narrative Architect
IKantKoan Play/s

Katie GreenExperience Designer & Immersive Theatre-Maker Twin Alchemy Collective and Ginkgo End of Life

Kevin LaibsonMixed Reality Artist Agile Lens

LaJuné McMillianNew Media Artist

Michael RauLive Performance Director Wolf359, Stanford University

Michaela Ternasky-Holland Artist & Director Onassis ONX, Museum of the Moving Image

NovySanExperience Designer, Researcher, Educator, Creative Coder, Analog Astronaut Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Research Affiliate MIT Media Lab; Ocean Discovery League; Analog Astronaut Foundation

Peter FlahertyDirector & Interactive Artist Flaherty Pictures, Visually Positioned Surgery, and CalArts

Risa Puno Artist

Sammy StoneDesigner and Producer Red Kite Project, DrachenFest US, Philadelphia Larp Society

Strother Gaines Therapist, Speaker, & Immersive Artistic Director The Adult Play Therapist

Sessions

10 GLASSES: FIRST GLANCE
Strother Gaines

AGENCY: FROM AUDIENCE TO PARTICIPANT
Celia Pearce

ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD
Aaron Landsman

AM I ANGRY? I CAN’T TELL. THAT’S SO ANNOYING. DOES THAT MEAN I’M ANGRY?
Jessica Creane

BETWEEN HUMAN AND ALGORITHM
Michael Rau

BURN THIS BOOK
Sammy Stone

CRINGE CLINIC
Risa Puno & Sammy Stone

DESIGNING FOR DEATH
Katie Green

DIG IN
Arlo Howard & Caro Murphy

ESCAPING ANXIETY
Strother Gaines

GR(AI)T DEBATE
Michaela Holland

HANDLE WITH CARE
Mister & Mischief

ISLE OF SUGAR
Alejandro Tey

KILL, MY DARLINGS (Session 1)
Peter Flaherty

KILL, MY DARLINGS (Session 2)
Peter Flaherty

THE PORTALS KEEPER
LaJuné McMillian

PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY
Aaron Landsman

REHEARSAL ROOM OF REQUIREMENT (WORKSHOP)
Agile Lens

REHEARSAL ROOM OF REQUIREMENT (DEMO)
Agile Lens

REHEARSAL ROOM OF REQUIREMENT (SHOWCASE)
Agile Lens

RITUAL WORKSHOP
Caro Murphy

SITE-SPECIFIC KISSING WORKSHOP
Jessica Creane

SPACE WITHIN REACH
NovySan

SPY OF THE YEAR
Arlo Howard

SUMMIT MONTICELLO
Alexander Devriendt

THE COUNCIL IS IN SESSION

Angela Washko

UNRESOLVED RAGE GAME

Risa Puno

WE NEVER LIVED HERE

Katie Green

WORKING ARTIST BOARD GAME (PLAYTEST)

April Soetarman

WORKING ARTIST BOARD GAME (WORKSHOP)

April Soetarman

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Partners

Location

This year’s event will take place at the Allerton Park and Retreat Center in Monticello, IL.

This gorgeous, 1500-acre, early 20th century estate is owned and operated by the University of Illinois and includes multiple lodging options including the original mansion, event spaces, a cafe, and countless gardens, trails, and outdoor spaces. Worlds in Play participants will be the sole occupants of the estate during the four days of the event, giving us lots of space to play and activate.

Join Us!

This creative retreat will truly be a world of its own, removed from society just far enough so we can really focus on creating connections and advancing this young meta-field of ours. Come share space and time with immersive theatre makers, game designers, experience creators, and innovative makers who defy categorization.

Jake Pinholster & Scarlett Kim
Co-Founders / Producers

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