In the realm of immersive experiences, 2024 brings forth a new beacon of intrigue and adventure – The Key of Dreams. Crafted by the masterminds behind The Locksmith’s Dream, an experience so special that it was visited by Neil Patrick Harris himself, this venture promises a voyage into the extraordinary. It is a one-of-a-kind experience: it takes place in a 17th-century manor house in Wales and it lasts 24hrs – including an overnight stay and meals.
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What is the Key of Dreams?
The Key of Dreams defies conventional categorisation, transcending the boundaries of escape rooms, immersive dining, and interactive theatre. At its core, it offers an overnight immersion into a 17th-century manor house in Wales, where guests unravel a tapestry of secrets woven into its very fabric. With a four-to-one guest-to-actor ratio, the experience blends historical intrigue with narrative puzzles, inviting participants to forge connections with both the characters and the environment.
A Quick Overview of the Experience
We arrived at Treowen manor at 12pm and were welcomed by some of the characters of the story and seen to our rooms. The manor is magical, and the setting on its own transported me somewhere else. Within the room, we found our Field Guide, a book with information about the experience, the house, the characters, and the book we would be using for the next 12 hours to take notes. Each of us also had a letter inviting us to join an ‘organisation’ and explaining the next steps to do so.
From then, it was time to go downstairs, enjoy a light lunch and get acquainted with the other guests of the house, before setting off on an exploration. From then it was hours of puzzle solving, exploring (both inside and outside in the gorgeous gardens of the house), and picking up every object that seemed like it would help us solve our puzzles and the overall story about the house. Most importantly, we spent quite some time getting to know the characters, their stories, their motives, and their past. And of course, we had some chats with the other guests, it was certainly be helpful to get some information from them too.
We also had the time to join an organisation, and attend some meetings with the organisation’s leader. This unravelled a few more stories and quests for us to explore.
There’s quite a bit of walking involved, and running up and down the beautiful spiral staircase of the manor so naturally we saw ourselves in need of some fuel. Tea & coffee were provided throughout the stay, at all hours. Afternoon tea was served around 3PM, and a multi-course dinner came along quite early as well so we were more than satisfied. All food is prepared onsite, and it was delicious.
After dinner, we continued our explorations and attended more meetings. Of course, at this point all stories are getting to a climax, and something… happens. At around midnight it was time to go to bed, exhausted of course!
In the morning, breakfast is served and the story continues until noon. This is the only time the actors will get out of character, and of course get a big round of applause for the last 24hrs.
How To Best Experience The Key Of Dreams
Although no previous knowledge is required when visiting this experience, having attended myself, there’s a few things I would advice new joiners. Note this is my opinion, the creators of the Key of Dreams say there is no ‘right way’ to experience it. But we were a group of four and we all agreed on this when debriefing so I say my advice won’t hurt!
There are two main things to follow when you start your explorations: Cuttings & Histories. Cuttings are scraps of stories that are scattered around the house and don’t seem to lead anywhere but themselves. Once you collect a set of cuttings, you need to record it and bring it to a character named ‘The Collector’ for him to sign them off. There are many sets of Cuttings to collect, and more get added overnight.
Histories are effectively different sets of stories about the house. In order to understand the stories, you need to pay attention to the items which have a symbol tied to them. If a set of items has the same symbol, it belongs to the same set of stories.
Cuttings are fun to collect, and you should certainly collect them! But don’t forget the Histories. We ignored these most of our stay, and we realised these were quite important, because the characters seemed interested in them. They will also ask you about them. So choose one or two stories to focus on, and make sure you get to the bottom of them! It will increase the fun overall, as it will increase the interaction with the characters.
The characters are wonderful actors, and all of them have their own unique story as well, their motives and reasons for being in the house and wanting certain things from the house. Make sure you are getting to know them, thoroughly. My favourite character was ‘The Collector’ whom I managed to get a stellar monologue from, followed by Mr Carter.
Last, do get to know the guests, it might come in handy for your explorations to have broken the ice with them and in some situations you might need to collaborate with them. It is not compulsory to dress up for the event but you will notice many guests will dress up and honestly it does make the experience more magical, if it’s your thing. Some outfits I saw were on point!
Is The Key of Dreams Worth Visiting?
Absolutely! Overall, there’s nothing I can compare it with. The overall duration, the fact that it’s overnight and that it’s so exclusive to a group of around 20 people. It is effectively 24hrs of blissful removal from the ordinary world into a dream. The puzzles are fun, the actors are excellent, and the location is unique.
I have visited hundreds of immersive experiences and this one has been one-of-a-kind. And it’s clear such experiences are valued as a lot of my fellow guests had come all the way from America to this experience!
The only caveat to add, is that there is a lot of walking and stairs so I don’t believe the experience would be suitable for handicapped or people with reduced mobility.
How Do I Book the Key of Dreams?
You can choose one of the upcoming dates to the Key of Dreams here. There are dates available from September until the end of the year. You will have to book your ticket and room separately, there is a possibility for you to stay off site overnight but I would very much recommend to choose staying in the manor given the experience finishes so late at night.
You will have to drive to this experience using your own car, or a rental. There’s parking onsite. You could also take the train to Newport Station and from there take a taxi (it’s a 30 min car ride from that station).
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