Silver Center’s ‘Passages’ Moves Audiences With Unique Form
By Brady Lyons
Published 3/5/2026
Don’t expect a good seat if you plan to see “Passages” at the Silver Center for the Arts. In fact, don’t expect a seat at all. “Passages,” largely written by its student cast, takes a new approach to theater as it tells the story of Township, Maine, and its residents; instead of sitting down for the play, you’re asked to walk around the Silver Center and encounter different parts of the story.
“Passages” is an intriguing story, reminiscent of popular television shows such as “Stranger Things,” “Severance,” and “Gravity Falls,” set in a town where something just isn’t quite right.
Upon entering the Silver Center, you’re assigned to a group. Each group takes a preselected path through the building, seeing select scenes from the overall story. This viewing format is entertaining and encourages rewatching to see parts you missed, but it also makes the entirety of the story hard to understand on the first watch through.
Some groups may get more time with certain characters, while other groups may only see them briefly, sometimes making it difficult to understand the characters. Missing certain scenes made me feel like I didn’t fully understand some characters’ relationships, motives, actions, or fit in the play broadly.
As you move through the story and wait between scenes, you can see changes in the interactive set, like flyers going up around town or a phone booth with a missed call.
I found the format entertaining and visually interesting, but it made it difficult to understand the whole story. Each scene gives you a piece of a puzzle, but the pieces did not always fit nicely. It was also difficult to connect to some of the characters, as you’re not given enough time to sit with them before you must move to the next scene with different characters.
The actors delivered stellar performances, however. Each actor was given the opportunity to write around their character and take them in a direction they wanted, and they did an excellent job. The story did not have any obvious main characters, so almost every actor had their moment to shine.
Not every area of the Silver Center was fully decorated with a proper set, but the areas that did have a set were built well, and the lighting in particular was excellent. The regular white house lights were dimmed for the production, and neon lights throughout the whole building transport you into a different world.
Overall, Passages is a fascinating but confusing story that embraces an interesting form. The immersive experience transports you to Township, but it can be difficult to connect to its townsfolk, leading to a climax that excites but doesn’t satisfy and that left me with more questions than answers. The actors give their all to their performances, filling what could have been a lackluster story with heart and soul.
“Passages” opens at 8pm tonight, March 5th, at the Silver Center for the Arts, following the 7pm production of “Wearable Art.”