The Telelibrary uses cutting-edge telephonic technology to provide you with adventure, entertainment and edification from the comfort and social distance of your own home. Our catalogue is constantly changing and evolving with new selections and features, and our system is designed to adapt to your needs and preferences. Our system is friendly, easy to use, professional, and only mostly fictional.
Part Theater, part game, part self-care and all just a phone call away. To experience "The Telelibrary," simply choose your preferred time below, sign up for your 50 minute slot, and when the time comes, pick up the phone and give a ring.
FAQ
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IS IT OVER? DID I MISS IT? HOW DO I GET A SLOT IF IT'S ALL BOOKED UP?The Telelibrary is an ongoing, by-appointment performance. New Open Hours are posted regularly. To be the first to know when that happens, join the waitlist.
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CAN I CALL FROM OUTSIDE THE US?Yes. Be sure to check the International Calls box, and you will receive separate instructions to call in via Skype or WhatsApp instead. All times are listed in Eastern Time (EST/EDT, depending on your season and personal relationship to time)
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CAN I HAVE SOMEONE JOIN ME?Users often have a friend or partner join them, either on speakerphone or by merging the call. Users are reminded that this is a System designed originally for one participant at a time. Should you be considering bringing a companion, the following questions may be instructive: Would I want to share my solitude with this person? Would I be relieved to be trapped in an elevator with them? How long would it take us to agree on a film for a movie night?
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SO WHAT IS THIS ANYWAY?See above
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HOW WILL YOU USE MY CONTACT INFO? CAN I LIE?Upon registration, you will be asked to provide a name, email and phone number. Your email will be used to send a confirmation and reminder email before your session, and a credits email after your session has concluded. Your phone number will be used to send a reminder text as needed and to verify your call, and then never again. Your name will be used to organize this information, and because it is polite to ask, and could be entirely fake and no one would ever know. If you lie about your contact info, the wrong person will receive the information above, which provides no real benefit to anyone involved, and likely confuse them immensely. In all cases, your information will never be sold or distributed to any third party or entity outside of the Telelibrary, nor even gifted along with a nice pair of socks during the Holiday Season.
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NO, BUT REALLY — WHAT IS IT?"No further details will be provided. Grab a slot below and find out
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WHAT IF I WANT TO ADD MORE THAN ONE PERSON?The Telelibrary invites you to recall the last time you and two or more people tried to decide together on a restaurant.
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IS THIS EXPERIENCE CHILD-FRIENDLY?The System has been informed that every child is unique, special, and remarkable (and your child even more so). As such, it is difficult to determine how they may respond to any given theme which may be explored in your session, (or how willing they are to navigate a telephone-based experience). While content-warnings and considerations are available (see "more info about accessibility"), it may prove instructive to consider the following scenario: You have just entered a used book-store. Books of every kind cram the shelves and lay in stacks on the floor, and there's no telling what you might find in the first one you pick up. You think someone is burning incense, but you can't quite say what the scent is, and though there's a bell to ring for assistance, you have no idea who will show up if you ring it. Now imagine that your child is with you. Are you excited to share this space with them? What kind of conversations might you need to have before, during, or after you do so?
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WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFO ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY OR CONTENT CONSIDERATIONS?You can a basic answers about accessibility here. Further details about FAQs or the Telelibrary experience are available by request. While a sense of discovery and the unknown are important parts of your session, the Telelibrary seeks to make itself accessible to as many persons as possible. You are invited to email any questions, concerns about content warnings or accessibility, or requests to thetelelibrary@gmail.com.
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HOW DOES PAYMENT WORK?The Telelibrary is performed for one caller at a time, and each caller creates their own experience. Sessions are offered on a Pay-what-you-wish basis, with contributions made after your experience is complete. At the end of your session, you will receive instructions for making any contribution you think is fair based on your experience, your support for the project, or your ability.
OPEN HOURS
All times listed in Eastern Daylight Time / GMT-4
Scroll to see more available sessions | click the logo to navigate back to all options
The Telelibrary is currently paused for scheduled maintenance, and will resume in early October.
Join the waitlist below to be the first to know when new times are posted!
Times all booked?
Join the waitlist to be notified the moment new Open Hours are posted.
FEEDBACK
Outstanding Achievement in Immersive & Experiential Production
Audience Choice; Best Screenless Experience
PRESS
The Telelibrary gets called out in many conversations on remote performance: Listen to Kathryn Yu talk with the Knight Foundation's Discovery program about how performers are experimenting with remote performances and what is being learned about performance in the time of telepresence. Or see the Telelibrary in No Proscenium's Critic's Picks for 2020, Unforgettable Moments that defined the year, and December and May Writers Roundtables on what is working and what isn't in the age of virtual performance (spoiler: it's working).
You can also read a full review (with minimal spoilers) from No Proscenium here,
and the Telelibrary Feature (with more serious spoilers) in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Finally, you can hear from creator Yannick Trapman-O'Brien in a feature on "How Immersive Performers Are Adapting" or in discussion with Noah Nelson on the No Proscenium Podcast