Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern

• 1. Introduction

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  Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern opened in New York in May 2024. Audience members helped determine how the story ended. Each performance played out differently, shaped by votes, dice rolls, and improvised choices. Before that first night, the same show had spent years developing in front of fringe festival crowds under a different name. No official license existed then, so the game it was based on could not be named directly. Three years into that development, it was playing the Sydney Opera House. How a fringe experiment became a production backed by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast is worth exploring. Three creators built this show: David Carpenter, David Andrew Laws, and Sarah Davis Reynolds. They divided the traditional Dungeon Master role in two, and that split is where the show's unusual logic begins.

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• 2. From Fringe to License

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  The Philadelphia Fringe Festival in 2021 was where The Twenty-Sided Tavern first took shape in front of a live audience. Before that, Sarah Davis Reynolds and David Andrew Laws, known as DAGL, had worked on interactive Zoom shows during the COVID-19 pandemic. They designed those shows to be more engaging than the static online readings that were common at the time. When they proposed a project featuring Dungeons & Dragons, both longtime players of the game, the concept immediately clicked.

  After the fringe run, the show also played Off-Off-Broadway at Asylum NYC. At that stage it was marketed only as a 'Dungeons and Dragons-style' production because no license existed. The full production premiered at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera in 2022, then ran in Chicago and at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. From there came a deal with Hasbro, Curious Hedgehog, Showpath Entertainment, and Wizards of the Coast.

  Brisbane Times noted that the earliest version was unlicensed and could not tap into the game's cultural and geographical references. With the deal came the freedom to reference locations such as Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, and the Sword Coast. The show became the first officially licensed Dungeons & Dragons theatrical production ever staged.

  Previews began in April 2024, and in May the show officially opened at Stage 42 as Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern. Both the New York and Sydney productions were directed by Michael Fell. He also co-wrote the show's second adventure, The Tomb of Havoc, with David Carpenter, alongside additional writing from Conner Marx.

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• 3. The Divided Throne

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  Sarah Davis Reynolds described the thinking behind the show's unusual dual-host structure. One person, the Dungeon Master, is 'in charge of the story.' The other, the Tavern Keeper, is 'in charge of the game.'

  Reynolds noted that 'puppy dog eyes' will not change the game rules. That firm line belongs to the Tavern Keeper, who steps in when mechanics need stating plainly. The Dungeon Master, by contrast, can remain 'playfully antagonistic' without breaking the rules framework.

  Michael Idato of The Sydney Morning Herald described the Tavern Keeper's role as that of a 'rules lawyer.' Cassie Tongue of The Guardian noted that Zoe Harlen 'delightfully performed' the Tavern Keeper in Sydney. Joey Sims of IGN called Reynolds 'enjoyably wry' and 'a grounding presence' in the same role during the off-Broadway run.

  The show's physical set was designed with that dual authority in mind, housing dedicated technical controls for each role.

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• 4. The Technology of Choice

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  Scenic designer K.C. McGeorge embedded Easter eggs into the set for Dungeons & Dragons fans willing to look for them. The tavern bar hides monitors and technical controls. Both the Dungeon Master and the Tavern Keeper draw on these tools as the story progresses.

  One monitor shows a script with pages of potential beats. Another displays a branching sequence chart, a list of possible scenarios tied to each audience decision or dice roll. Christopher Cruz, writing for Rolling Stone, noted what starts as a simple flowchart. As the game advances, it becomes 'a dizzying web of hundreds of potential outcomes for the narrative.'

  A video wall behind the stage provides shifting backgrounds and overlays. It displays character and item cards, hit point meters, and visualizations of combat effects.

  The audience participates through Gamiotics software on their own devices. Shaye Weaver of Time Out noted that each of the three player characters is 'controlled by a third of the audience.' Voting determines decisions at critical junctures. Joey Sims of IGN described audience challenges resembling 'Mario Party-esque fast-tap' gameplay. He praised the Gamiotics software as 'smoothly integrated and thankfully bug-free.' Participation operates on a strictly volunteer-only basis, Sims noted, meaning no one is required to engage.

  The show's 33 total characters cover various archetypes, with a shortlist pulled from the full roster for each performance. Select audience members can also join the cast on stage, taking the immersion beyond their seats.

  Alice Ellis of Time Out Sydney wrote that she had 'never seen anything like' The Twenty-Sided Tavern. She singled out the changing lighting effects and the digital artwork that transformed the stage when characters took certain actions.

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• 5. On Stage and Improvising

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  Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times observed all four off-Broadway performers throwing themselves into the 'ambient silliness.' She singled out Madelyn Murphy as 'lively' and 'quick-thinking.' Shaye Weaver of Time Out likewise called Murphy 'a standout among the talented improvisers.'

  Weaver reserved her longest praise for DAGL as Dungeon Master. He reacted, she wrote, 'quickly and humorously' to the crowd's choices. New character voices materialized alongside whatever wig the moment called for. She described him as 'adept at keeping the crowd in line and on task,' making the audience feel like participants rather than spectators. Joey Sims of IGN called DAGL both an 'endearing guide' and a 'commanding storyteller.'

  Felicia Day was the first guest star to rotate into the off-Broadway run, appearing in September 2024. Aabria Iyengar followed in September and October 2024 and became the show's first guest Dungeon Master. Iyengar returned in February and March 2025. Travis McElroy appeared in November 2024 and again in March 2025. Erika Ishii joined in December 2024 and Jack Lepiarz in January 2025. Neil Newbon performed in February 2025, Darin De Paul in March 2025, and Anjali Bhimani in April 2025.

  William Kasper took the Dungeon Master role in Sydney, with Zoe Harlen as the Tavern Keeper. Alice Ellis of Time Out called Kasper 'charismatic.' She described player Eleanor Stankiewicz as commanding the stage, holding 'the audience's gaze' even when not the focal point of a scene.

  When the U.S. national tour launched in July 2025, Conner Marx took over as Dungeon Master. Marx had previously contributed additional writing to the show's second adventure, The Tomb of Havoc. That background made him a natural choice for the Dungeon Master role on the road.

  Bhimani, Iyengar, and Ishii continued as guest stars into the national tour's Chicago engagement in September 2025, joined by Damien Haas.

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• 6. What Critics Heard

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  Catey Sullivan of the Chicago Sun-Times reviewed the 2022 Chicago production and gave it one star out of four. She argued the show 'could work as a brief comedy sketch or an improv class warmup but cannot sustain a two-hour show.' Her review described it as a series of 'repetitive, one-note jokes' and 'meaningless audience interaction.'

  Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times framed the off-Broadway show not as a 'straightforward fantasy tale.' She described it as 'basically a play session' of Dungeons & Dragons. She noted that the game had been 'undergoing a startling renaissance,' giving the format cultural momentum.

  Joey Sims, reviewing for IGN, found more to question. He praised the 'creative design, strong performances, and stimulating crowd work.' At the same time, he argued the show 'forgets' the key element shared by great Dungeons & Dragons and great theater: a meaningful story. That omission left him 'ultimately unsatisfied.'

  Cassie Tongue of The Guardian called The Twenty-Sided Tavern a 'perfect summer activity' with an 'all-are-welcome-here vibe.' She found it 'an uncomplicated and boisterous good time that isn't afraid to be silly.'

  Alice Ellis of Time Out called The Twenty-Sided Tavern an ideal entry point for understanding Dungeons & Dragons. 'Probably the best way I've found so far to get a better grasp on the complex game that is D&D,' she wrote. Michael Idato of The Sydney Morning Herald called it 'very much for the mainstream' while noting details planted there for 'hardcore fans.' He called the show 'delightfully bonkers.'

  The off-Broadway run closed on the 11th of May 2025. The Sydney production had ended on the 6th of April. A month after Sydney closed, the U.S. national tour was already on the road.

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