THE NYC DEBUT OF JOHN ROBERTSON’S CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED ‘THE DARK ROOM’
“An hilarious, sadistic, participatory cult classic” – Neil Patrick Harris
"Blends improv and gaming like nobody else" - Sam Reich, Dropout
“A Rocky Horror for nerds… reader, I howled” – The Telegraph
We're thrilled to announce the NYC debut of UK comedian, John Robertson’s, critically-acclaimed live-action videogame, The Dark Room, running September 9 – 12 at Asylum NYC, 123 East 24th Street. Tickets are on sale now available here.
Since 2012, The Dark Room has been at the forefront of interactive comedy, fusing improv, stand-up, crowd work and gaming into a legendary, deranged Live-Action Videogame!
The format is simple: You’re trapped in a videogame! Players pick options off a screen and try not to die! If they win, they get money! If they fail, they die and win terrible prizes! At the end, everybody plays together! Hosted by improv comedy overlord Mr. John Robertson, The Dark Room is a high-octane cult experience that gets a full room of adults laughing and chanting like an unhinged mob.
“NOT TO BE MISSED” – The Guardian
“Hilarious game show” – The Independent
The Dark Room has filled massive theatres, appeared at some of the best-known Comic-Cons in the world, headlined tents at rock festivals, and garnered a slew of sold-out Edinburgh Fringe runs and awards. Clips from various The Dark Room shows regularly go viral on TikTok and Instagram.
As seen at: Glastonbury, PAX East, UK Games Expo, MCM Comic-Con, Download, PAX West, Soho Theatre, Leicester Square Theatre, Birmingham NEC, PAX Australia, 2000 Trees, BlueDot, Worldcon, Insomnia Gaming Festival, EGX, Twitch Global Front Page.
Awards and nominations: Won - Best-Reviewed Edinburgh Fringe Comedy 2025, British Comedy Guide, Nominated - Best International Show, New Zealand Comedy Festival 2025, Runner-Up NextUp Biggest Prize in Comedy 2022, Winner- Chortle Award 2020, Winner – Best Kids Show, Leicester Comedy Festival 2018
In 2020, 2021 and 2022, John performed The Dark Room as interactive 48 and 50 hour charity marathon shows on the streaming platform Twitch, raising over £150,000 for various charities including NHS, Woman’s Trust, Refuge and Mind.
For more on John Robertson and The Dark Room visit his website, TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube and Facebook pages.