Plum Road Tea Dream_The Performance

Where queer storytelling transforms gaming into a space for healing.

Plum Road Tea Dream_The Performance is a theatrical performance in which the audience follows two performers as they immerse themselves in a video game. This virtual world was designed by Samuel Baidoo as a space for new mourning rituals—a place to preserve memories and reflect on their identity as a queer person of color.

This hybrid experience brings together theatre, gaming, and rituals. Through the performative possibilities of livestreaming, the performers explore, before the eyes of the audience, the intimate emotional and experiential world of the character S. The audience is drawn into a cinematic experience that becomes theatrical because the streaming unfolds live on stage. In doing so, the performance recreates a familiar dynamic from online gaming culture: a community watching someone discover a game for the very first time.

One performer takes on the role of guide, while the other enters the game as a first-time player. Their encounter on stage is both authentic and performative. As the game is projected onto a large screen, the audience witnesses not only the virtual journey but also the performers’ reactions. The guide navigates the experience, using the game world as the starting point for a personal and societal conversation with their guest.

Through encounters, recognition, and imagination, Plum Road Tea Dream_The Performance weaves together fiction and reality into a layered narrative. It is an immersive experience that invites empathy and reflection. After the performance, audiences are invited to explore the physical models, sketches, and objects that inspired the virtual world of the game. Online meets offline, creating an exhibition space where visitors can continue the conversation.