A trendy bar filled with actors, speakeasy cocktails, garden-to-glass ingredients—it all sounds like just another night out in LA. But if those actors were performing around you as you sipped on a Ramos Gin Fizz, and the bar you were leaning against suddenly became part of a larger stage in a warehouse, well, that makes things a little more interesting.
The Day Shall Declare It, an immersive theater experience performed by the Wilderness theater company at Imperial Art Studios, has returned to LA after a successful 2015 run. Using a 3,000-square-foot warehouse as their stage, actors perform the Tennessee Williams-inspired piece around a 30-person audience, telling a story of work and the relationships people have at their place of employment. Whether or not you're a fan of actors whispering in your ear mid-scene, though, you'll find the experience worth it just for the cocktails. Before the play begins, audience members are invited to stop by Paradise Bar, an exclusive, Prohibition-themed pop-up bar helmed by the Vagrant Bartenders—a set piece in its own right. Here you can sip on traditional old-fashioneds and Manhattans, as well as speakeasy cocktails made exclusively for The Day Shall Declare It: a bourbon Ward Eight, for example, or the Negroni Sbagliato.
Once the play ends, a full-on BBQ is available at the bar, with dishes inspired by famous 'cue spots. Dig into a Kansas City brisket sandwich, Apple City BBQ ribs, Ubon's prime rib sandwich and Daddies smoked pork butt sandwich, all served with any two sides of coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad and corn bread. For dessert, peach and berry cobbler or bread and butter pudding round out the meal.
Tickets can be purchased here—the first performance is tonight—but if you can't snag a seat in time, Paradise Bar is open to the general public starting at 9:45pm.
The Day Shall Declare It runs from May 10-June 19 at Imperial Art Studios, located at 695 S Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles.