Theater

Theater is the twelfth chapter of The Beginner's Guide.

Level
This level begins at the backstage of a theater, with signs pointing the direction to the stage. When the player reaches the stage, several lights turn on and a dialog system says "the performance is beginning".

Through the dialog system, an unseen character playing the role of director tells the player to lean against a prop wall and says "you will be playing as me". The next task is to talk to a woman at the center of the stage, who is a professional photographer of animals, something the player (in this case, playing the part of a character in the play) dreams to be. No matter what the player says, the director will not be satisfied. Several bouncing cones, representing "people around", will then appear on the stage.

As the player fails in their task, the director says he is going to try something else. They ask the player to step back from the stage and the back curtains open, revealing a lamppost. As the player steps back, iron gates fall from the ceiling to isolate the player, pleasing the director. If the player remains stationary, only a single gate will fall before the level ends; if he keeps walking away from the stage, more gates (up to ten) will come crashing down.

Narration
''This one took a lot longer than all the others for Coda to make. It was 4 months between this and the last one. That's twice as long as it took him to make any other game before this, and it's not like it's particularly complex. So I remember I found that a little... strange at the time.''

(See Dialogue Section)

''The game ends with this eerie premonition of what's going to happen next in Coda's life. The solution to social anxiety, to fears of having to perform and having to chase success, the answer for Coda is to withdraw. To hide himself away. Which is what leads to scenarios like the stairs that slowed you down several games ago, where it becomes harder and harder to access Coda's inner landscape because he keeps retreating, he keeps backing away from possible connections to anyone other than himself. And to be honest I didn't consider it very healthy, when I first played this game. It looked to me like he was trying to justify the idea of disconnecting yourself from the world, And that wasn't what I wanted for him or for his games. Because I feel like a lot of his games are inviting me to connect, to connect with this person, to bring him closer.''

Dialogue (From In-Game Files)


Alright! The performance is beginning! Places please! In this scene, you will be playing as me. We are at a gathering of professionals. First, you'll start out leaning against this wall.

Good, stay right there. The woman across the room, in this chair, is a professional photographer of animals. It's your dream to photograph animals professionally. This is your one chance to learn something from her, to gain something, to succeed. Go on, say something to her. respondA: Hello? That's it?? That's not a conversation! You need to actually converse with her, be a human being. Do it again.
 * 1) Hello. (Go to respondA)
 * 2) Sorry, I have to leave. (Go to respondB)
 * 3) Where is the bathroom? (Go to respondC)

respondB: You're leaving?? You can't leave! You're letting your animal brain make decisions, be bigger than that and have an actual conversation with her. Do it again.

respondC: What are you doing?? You're deflecting, you're not saying what's actually on your mind. Stop dancing around it and have a conversation with this person. Do it again. (Regardless of response): No no no! That's not what I said to her at all! You're completely missing the tone of the conversation, I was reserved but I knew what I wanted, I was confident. For some reason it was just that one moment, but I was confident. Maybe it's that you need a better feel of the setting. There were a lot of people around us. I'll give you some props to work with. These cones that bounce when you touch them will represent the people nearby. Now talk to her again! (Regardless of reponse): You're messing it all up again! You'll freak her out if the conversation gets that personal that quickly! Do you not realize how important this was for me? I'll never get another opportunity like this again. Everything was riding on this! Hm... I want to try something. Try stepping back from the stage.
 * 1) I'm super super scared right now.
 * 2) I like you.
 * 3) Here are all of my hopes and dreams:
 * 1) You must have worked really hard to get where you are.
 * 2) I'll bet you've learned to lean into the pain.
 * 3) What are some sacrifices you've had to make?

Okay, yes! Now this is working! This is what it was like! That's perfect, wonderful, this is really wonderful. You're doing great.

Trivia
A modified version of this game appears in the trailer, showing the bouncy pins but not the photographer, brick wall, or dialogue. In the trailer, Davey describes the bouncing as "goofy" - a sharp contrast to the air of anxiety the player is given in the actual game.

Some of the backstage storage boxes have no hitbox, allowing the player to walk through them without using noclip.

It is possible to stand on top of the brick wall by standing in the exact spot before it appears.