Rorschach Theatre’s most recent entertainment series, Eldritch Investigations: A Psychogeographies Project, was released in monthly mailed installments from October 2023 to July 2024. “Psychogeography,” the theater company explains, is “a term coined by philosopher Guy Debord in the 1950s and refers to the intersection of psychology and geography.” Created by Steven Yockey, Kylos Brannon, Jenny McConnell Frederick, Luke Hartwood, and Jonelle Walker, Eldritch Investigations takes the audience to DC spots like the National Zoo, the Hirshhorn, and Takoma Park while simultaneously revealing the fictional story of a retired funeral director, Alistair Jones, who went missing in 2012. Image from Rorschach Theatre’s ‘Eldritch Investigations: A Psychogeographies Project.’ Photo by Kylos Brannon. Guiding the adventure is (fictional) sports writer Kathryn Malo, who took a personal interest in the case after happening upon a collection of research mailed to the paper, where she is employed. The documents included pictures, a birthday card with odd drawings, maps, and videos, all seemingly sent to the paper by Alistair in 2012. Eldritch (meaning “weird and sinister or ghostly”) Investigations is the title of what Malo muses will be a true-crime podcast made of her findings once the entire mystery has unfolded. The installments of Rorschach’s journey are sent out in boxes, mailed to each recipient, containing an expansive amount of “evidence” and other related content, including a numbered sheet with instructions and a QR code. The instructions give addresses and detailed directions for the subscriber to be able to follow in Malo’s footsteps as she unravels the disappearance of Alistair (who we find out was proclaimed by his own wife “not in his right mind” for becoming obsessed with conspiracy theories). The provided code links to a Google Drive folder created by Malo and labeled “Eldritch Investigations.LOL” (implying Malo’s skepticism in any “theories”), with seven sub-folders named for each destination the chapter visits and filled with Malo’s many audio recordings, plus a few short videos from Alistair’s shared research. The accompanying instructions also specify what order to listen to these audio and visual records, with prompts to read the provided papers, observe landmarks, or explore the surroundings. The main plot of Eldritch Investigations may itself be fiction but each of the locations is full of history, which Malo mentions in her stream-of-consciousness-esque recordings. Like the now-closed Bene Millinery run by Vanilla Beane, known as “DC’s hat lady.” And the National Mall, where Malo explains the design of DC by L’Enfant and the associated “sacred geometry” that could tie into Alistair’s disappearance. The material is full of stories of cults, legends, and mundane factoids which causes the senses to begin to blur the line between the fantastical and true history. Rorschach Theatre’s Eldritch Investigations: A Psychogeographies Project is just as much an educational exercise as it is a Psychogeography. The many allusions inspired me to go down a rabbit hole of sites to read about Jean Dubuffet’s invention of Art Brut, the science of the Fermi paradox, and the accounts of the Freemasons in DC. The experience was fun, incredibly creative, and unexpectedly motivating to take in and appreciate the many facets and features of our nation’s capital. I highly recommend Rorschach Theatre’s current, and any upcoming, Psychogeographies, as a welcome respite from the real world, an outdoor activity for the adventurous, or an informative source for the inquisitive mind. And although Rorschach Theatre’s most recent tale has concluded, it is not too late to enjoy the experience, which is still available and includes a ticket to Rorschach Theatre’s upcoming production of Sleeping Giant by Emmy-nominated screenwriter Steve Yockey, who was also a collaborator on the Eldritch project. Rorschach Theatre’s Eldritch Investigations: A Psychogeographies Project ran from October 2023 through July 2024, with boxes mailed out each month. For more information, click here. Rorschach Theatre’s production of Steve Yockey’s Sleeping Giant plays from October 4 to November 3, 2024, at 1020 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, DC. Pay-What-You-Can Previews October 4 to 6. The run continues through November 3 with shows on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm. For more information and tickets, click here. SEE ALSO: ‘Dark comedy is pretty much what I do’: Playwright Steve Yockey on his embrace of Rorschach Theatre’s mission (interview by Jeffrey Walker, January 4, 2024)