‘Last One Standing’ is an experience that wants you to think about what it would be like to be the last one of a specific group. There a a lot of things in our current world that have the capacity to isolate us, so how can we connect our own feelings of loneliness and emptyness to those of others, and show empathy? Listen to the story of your chosen ‘last one standing’ or interact with them – you decide.

Categories/Themes
solo audience experience
immersive
phonecall
historical

So what is the experience exactly?
In Last One Standing, you are led into a small room. This room hosts a table and chair, pen and paper and a mobile phone. There are several objects and trinkets placed throughout the room, a small mailbox, and there is also a note on the wall with a list of names and phone numbers:
Eugene, last man on the moon
‘Man of the Hole’, last Tanaru Tribesman
Bahia, only survivor of Comoros Plane Crash
Ruth, last woman to be hanged in the UK
When you choose to call a number, you will get connected to the person of your choice, who will tell their story through monologue. The monologue slowly turns into a conversation, where you will be asked questions about loneliness, feeling singled out, being the last one.
After the phonecall ends, you will get a message on the mobile device, asking you to share you current feelings, and also some possible solace for the person you have just talked to. You can write this down and drop it in the so-called ‘mailbox of solace’. This mailbox will contain messages from the people who went before you, and will continue to be filled by the people visiting the experience after you.

Performances and history
A first version of this show has been tested at the Cannonball Festival during Philadelphia Fringe, in September 2023. ‘Last One Standing’ was selected for the so-called Snack Track, where small experiemental immersive projects get room and support to develop into somethng that could be sustainable and repeatable. This first short run acted as a series of try-outs.

Additional info
The ‘mailbox of solace’ as described above is currently a tangible mailbox. We’re looking into the possibility to make this mailbox digital. This would have the advantage that the (anonymous) messages put into the box would be available to everyone. There are positives to this; being able to share these stories of solace between people who have done the experience will create a bigger connection to the artwork and will also allow us to prolong this connection, since they would be able to log in and read this many months later as well. Howeverm there is also something to be said for the closed experience.
Additional funding has been requested from the Canadian Digital Fund to make a prototype of the digital version, and we expect a verdict on this request at the end of September. If funding is granted, we will start implementing this after Cannonball Festival.

Text example
Click here for the text of one of the phone calls (Bahia, only survivor of plane crash). Because of the interactive nature of the piece, the experience will be slightly different for every caller.

Practical info
Needed: a small indoor space that feels comfortable for one person. Any space can be transformed into a performance space for ‘Last One Standing’ and the setdressing will adjust to the original function. No additional technical assistance or light/sound cues, the only requirement is that there is a good phone signal and the room can be made cozy with available light (or by adding smaller lights to the space). The experience takes 20-30 minutes in total.

As Last One Standing is similar to an interactive installation, and the actors do not have to attend the theatre space live, this project can be set up by the programming festival/location without anyone from Hummingbird Interactive present. The festival will be sent a package with some props and an instruction for the person/volunteer manning the door. This will keep costs low, and the project available for many locations around the world. Of course, someone from Hummingbird will always be available remotely during all showtimes for troubleshooting or other issues that pop up.

About the Artist
Jedidjah Julia Noomen, founder of Hummingbird Interactive, is a Dutch/Canadian writer/director and narrative experience designer. She started out in film and theatre, and used her experience in location based and immersive theatre as a gateway into the digital and video game industry. There, she contributed narrative design to unique projects like Alt-Frequencies, a sci-fi audio-only game about misinformation (French Game Award for ‘Best social theme’) and Mrs Benz, a VR experience about the woman behind the very first car (official XR selection Venice and SXSW). 
She currently lives on a small island in BC, Canada where she develops stories and immersive experiences on loneliness, fate and nature.

Cast
Onella de Zilva, Mercedes Hesselroth, Janine Renee Cunningham, Simon Green, John Torres Chapman, Rylan Klaseen, Fred Skoler.