Practical details
Date & Location
The Bard's Tale will run twice, with Sonnet 5 running Wednesday April 8th - Friday, April 10th and Sonnet 7 running Friday, April 10th - Sunday, April 12th, 2026. It will take place at the DeKoven Center in Racine, WI, which is pictured above. We will have use of the 4 story hall with lots of sitting rooms, quiet spaces, and a perfect place for our stage. We will also have partial access to the Chapel where some of our readings may happen as well.
Lodging is on site, in double rooms with either queen or single beds. Closer to the event, a form with sleeping preferences will be sent to our players, and we will try to accommodate all needs. Bathrooms are shared. The site is close to both Chicago and Milwaukee Airports, and depending on group desire, we may be able to hire shuttles from either airport for an additional cost.
The LARP is intended to be run with 35 players and around 4 staff.
Cost
The cost for the entire event will be $595 USD plus taxes (around $38 USD) per person. This covers full participation, 2 nights of lodging (Wed/Thursday or Friday/Saturday), all meals, characters, a physical copy of your Shakespeare play, a character drinking mug, and everything else listed below and on the website.
Sponsored tickets will be available at $445 USD plus taxes (around $28 USD) per person. We will offer as many Sponsored tickets as we have Patrons to cover.
For those who are offered a spot at the LARP, the initial non-refundable down payment of $150 USD will be due shortly after. Your ticket is not guaranteed until the deposit has been received. Payment plans are offered, with payments split over 3 payments including the initial deposit.
The following is included in your ticket:
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Participation in the LARP (a free-form, low mechanics LARP with its creator present)
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3 day event which includes workshops, one and a half days of play, debriefing, and time to relax before leaving.
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All meals - Dinner on Friday, Breakfast Lunch and Dinner on Saturday, Breakfast on Sunday, with snacks, coffee and tea available 24/7
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2 nights lodging included as well as linens and towels. Sleeping will be in double rooms.
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Full character based on a character from a Shakespeare play.
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Photos taken by a photographer.
REFUND POLICY: The $150 USD deposit is non-refundable. Cancellations 120 days before the event will be fully refunded minus the deposit. Within 120-60 days of the event, 50% is refunded if we find someone to purchase your ticket. Cancellations less than 60 days before the event cannot be refunded.
Venue, Room, & Board
The venue is the Taylor Hall of the DeKoven Center. Sleeping areas are on the top floors, and there will be plenty of dedicated play space, with temporary access to the chapel for some of the reading scenes. Taylor Hall is an old school, so bathrooms and showers are communal and shared between rooms. Participants will be lodged in double rooms, either with two single beds, or one queen. If you have concerns or wish to purchase other accommodations, there are 2 on-site Airbnbs that can be rented at your own cost here, and here.
The site is ADA compliant, and West Coast Interactive should be able to accommodate other mobility issues. Please send us at email at support@westcoastinteractive.com if you feel the need to discuss your specific situation.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be included in the event, and we will be able to handle allergies and dietary restrictions, but please reach out if there are specific individual dietary concerns. Snacks, coffee, water, and limited soft drinks will be available at all times during our stay. The LARP is dry, meaning that there is no drinking alcohol during the event. Recreational drugs are not legal in Wisconsin, and will not be allowed at the event in any form. The site does not allow BYOB, but we will try to have libations for the afterparty.
The address to The DeKoven Center is:
2000 Wisconsin Avenue
Racine, Wisconsin 54303
Designer & Producer
Pedro Rodríguez Marin
Pedro is a LARP enthusiast and designer located in Spain. He has been larping domestically for 20 years and on the international side for more than a decade. A fan of theater and literature, he was struck with inspiration and developed the idea for The Bard's Tale in 2019, and ran it for the first time in 2023. This run of The Bard's Tale will be the 5th multi-day production of the LARP and the first to be held outside of Spain. He also has run an abridged version of the game as a chamber larp at The Smoke 2025 in England. Pedro will act as our main GM, and has personally written and designed all of the characters and plots for the game.
West Coast Interactive
West Coast Interactive is an interactive entertainment company created to provide immersive experiences of all kinds to an American audience. We strive to create events of all sizes and types with an emphasis on story telling, and transformative experiences. West Coast Interactive believes that immersive collaborative events like LARP serve to bring people together and allow safe spaces to explore the world around us as well as important themes and ideas.
West Coast Interactive is primarily run by avid larper, Tiana Hahn. You can read more about Tiana and her background in LARP and storytelling in the About Section of the website.
Special Thanks
Special thanks to Journeys & Tales for advice and formatting tips for The Bard's Tale web page. Thank you also to Harry Harold, larpx.com and his contribution to the world for the UK run. A special thank you to Pedro as well for reaching out to run a US version of this special LARP.