Show Finder

The Encounter

First Preview: Jun 22, 2016
Opening Date: Sep 20, 2016
Closing Date: Jan 8, 2017
Running Time: 02:00
The Encounter

Share on Social Media

Playing @
John Golden Theatre
252 W 45th St, New York, NY 10036
Get ready for a truly original, utterly astonishing night of theater.

Once you take your seat, your senses will be engaged in new and breathtaking ways as Simon McBurney leads you deep into the Amazon rainforest. Inspired by real events, The Encounter follows a National Geographic photographer as he finds himself lost in a remote area of Brazil. Through innovative aural technology and brilliant storytelling, this is a heart-stopping, riveting and slyly witty night of theater… and an encounter you’ll never forget. 

Conceived, directed & performed by Simon McBurney 

Inspired by Petru Popescu’s novel “Amazon Beaming,” 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
TUESDAY & THURSDAY @ 7 PM
WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY @ 8 PM
WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY @ 2 PM
SUNDAY @ 3 PM
BroadwayPerformance ArtPlay - DramaFamily
Show Notes: No Intermission
Age Guidance: 13
Audience Advisory: NOTICE FOR HEARING IMPAIRED CUSTOMERS: The Encounter is a sound-heavy show. We have a number of ways of supporting audience members with hearing impairment. If you use a hearing aid, please bring along your direct input cable for use during the performance and make yourself known at Box Office upon arrival so that our technicians can talk you through how best to experience the show. If you don’t have a direct input cable make yourself known to the House Manager and we will adapt the equipment and headphones accordingly. Please Note: Richard Katz will perform at some performances: Please check website

TDF Tickets Offers:

TDF Member tickets:

Not currently available for this show

Listed at

Never

Full-price tickets:

$89.00 - $155.00

Lottery & Rush

$40 - student tickets both at the box office and in advance. Student Rush tickets may be purchased with cash only. They are available on the day of performance when the box office opens, and advance tickets will be available online. Two tickets will be available per valid student ID, subject to availability.

Video

Reviews

  • Your passport is the set of earphones that you’ll find attached to your seat.Sounds hokey, doesn’t it, like 3-D glasses or one of those gimmicks that the moviemaker William Castle touted in the 1950s, using names like Percepto and Illusion-O. The earphones you’ve been issued don’t even look particularly sophisticated.But almost as soon as you put them on, your sense of time and space is altered. Mr. McBurney suddenly seems to be standing right next to you, whispering and (oh, wow!) blowing into your ear. Then he’s over there, behind you, and there, in front of you, and then practically sitting in your lap. Yet your eyes tell you that he’s never left the stage. Maybe you shouldn’t trust your eyes.

    ---New York Times
  • 5 STARS!!
    Closing one’s eyes in the theater can be a sign of boredom or exhaustion. But shutting the peepers at Simon McBurney’s utterly transfixing mind-tickler The Encounter is a valid expression of rapture. You wear headphones which transmit binaural (“3D”) sound, as McBurney moves around the stage rattling props and speaking over a dense layer of prerecorded voices and FX. If you enjoy radio drama, audiobooks or simply having your senses suffused by intense sonic stimulation, then lean back and let the lids drop.

    ---TimeOut NY
  • Simon McBurney is an extraordinary mix of actor, auteur and anthropologist. If the work of Complicite, which he co-founded, has been characterised by a fascination with other cultures, this show offers the most extreme example yet. Inspired by Petru Popescu’s Amazon Beaming, which recounts the experiences of an American photographer, Loren McIntyre, in the Brazilian rainforest, it raises any number of philosophical questions.

    ----The Guardian (UK)
  • Your passport is the set of earphones that you’ll find attached to your seat.Sounds hokey, doesn’t it, like 3-D glasses or one of those gimmicks that the moviemaker William Castle touted in the 1950s, using names like Percepto and Illusion-O. The earphones you’ve been issued don’t even look particularly sophisticated.But almost as soon as you put them on, your sense of time and space is altered. Mr. McBurney suddenly seems to be standing right next to you, whispering and (oh, wow!) blowing into your ear. Then he’s over there, behind you, and there, in front of you, and then practically sitting in your lap. Yet your eyes tell you that he’s never left the stage. Maybe you shouldn’t trust your eyes.

    ---New York Times

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair Info

    Four ADA compliant viewing locations with companion seating. Transfer optional.
  • Seating

    Orchestra on ground level. Lower lounge, front and rear mezzanine reached only by stairs.
  • Elevator/Escalator

    There are no elevators or escalators at this theatre.
  • Parking

    Valet parking lot: North side of street between Broadway & 8th Ave. Vans enter on 46th St. Valet parking garage: South side of 45th St.(east of Shubert Alley) between Broadway & 8th Ave. No vans.
  • Curb Ramps

    (2.5" lip) SW corner of 45th St. & Broadway; NW corner 45th St. & Broadway.
  • Entrance

    Double doors in series: 1st set (each 28.5") has one pair of automatic doors from 45th St. to Ticket Lobby with push-button control, incline up to 2nd set (each 28", attended by ushers) to Orchestra.
  • Box Office

    Ticket lobby. Counters 43". Accessible pass-through with writing shelf at 32". Assistance available.
  • Restroom

    Womens and Mens: Lower lounge. Down nineteen steps with continuous handrails. Wheelchair accessible restroom off premises. Assistance available.
  • Water Fountain

    Lower lounge, in restrooms.
  • Telephone

    Lower lounge. Coin slot at 54". Cord 29". Volume control. TTY, shelf and electric outlet.
  • Assisted Listening System

    Reservations are not necessary. Drivers license or ID with printed address required as a deposit. Please call: (212) 582-7678 to reserve in advance.
  • Folding Armrests

    Nine row-end seats with folding armrests.
  • Visual Assistance

    Low vision seats available for purchase in person, online, or over the phone.

TDF Social Feed

TDF
TDF1 day ago

If you can't make it to the theatre this weekend, here's what you can stream. Nicole Scherzinger at Royal Albert Hall is available for FREE on Great Performances l PBS...

tdfnyc2 days ago
New York’s outdoor theatre season is officially here —and Shakespeare in the Park is just one of many incredible options. From The Classical Theatre of Harlem and the Battery Dance...
tdfnyc5 days ago
In summer 2025, The Public Theater unveiled its gorgeous renovation of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. In addition to making the venue more accessible to folks with mobility challenges,...
TDF
TDF5 days ago

We’ve rounded up 10 great shows to see for $40 or less this May. Catch a new play from the acclaimed Clubbed Thumb, an immersive musical in a Brooklyn home,...

tdfnyc5 days ago
We’ve rounded up 10 great shows to see for $40 or less this May. Catch a new play from the acclaimed Clubbed Thumb, an immersive musical in a Brooklyn home,...
tdfnyc6 days ago
Yesterday, TDF hit the Drama Desk Awards red carpet and asked: “If you could travel back in time to see any Broadway production, what would it be?” Tell us your...
TDF
TDF1 week ago

Irving Berlin's Top Hat directed and choreographed by three-time Tony winner Kathleen Marshall is available to stream on Great Performances l PBS. Check that out plus MCC Theater's Miscast26, The...

tdfnyc1 week ago
We didn’t pay Betsy Aidem to say this… we swear! 👀 But we are considering making her our unofficial spokesperson. Betsy Aidem on why TDF means so much to her...
tdfnyc1 week ago
“All those little things add up to the sparkly diamond that each costume is.” Some of this year’s Tony-nominated costume designers share the details you’ll never see, from hidden references...
TDF
TDF1 week ago

There are many NYC opera companies hitting high notes all year-round! In fact, this month four of the five troupes we’re highlighting have performances, including two New York premieres. Discover...

TDF
TDF2 weeks ago

Congratulations, class of 2026! Last Tuesday, NYC’s high school seniors took over the red steps at TKTS for a graduation celebration. Afterward, everyone went to see CATS: The Jellicle Ball...

TDF
TDF2 weeks ago
Suffs Musical is available to stream for FREE through Great Performances l PBS until July 31. It's one of five performances in our streaming roundup this weekend.