UPDATE 31/01/2018: Tickets are now on sale for The Shawshank Redemption Experience at the Old Melbourne Gaol.
Continuing the trend for enhanced movie experiences, a new group, Beyond Cinema, has announced it will be holding a screening of the popular prison flick The Shawshank Redemption – inside a prison.
Beyond Cinema announced last year that it would show James Cameron's Titanic on a boat in Sydney Harbour, prompting plenty of jokes about "immersive screenings". The Melbourne screening of Shawshank will happen on June 30 inside the Old Melbourne Gaol on the north side of the CBD.
Actors will be present on the night portraying prisoners and guards, recreating key movie scenes live. Food will be served – expect "old-school prison food, hipstered up".
Directed by Frank Darabont, the 1994 film was based on a Stephen King novella. It flopped on initial release but garnered several Oscar nominations and became hugely popular on VHS and DVD. Tim Robbins stars as a man convicted of murder who changes the lives of several inmates and guards during his lengthy incarceration at the fictional Shawshank Prison in Maine. The movie boasts the signature role of Morgan Freeman, who narrates.
Get your tickets to the Shawshank Redemption Experience here.