Katherine Macalister meets Laura Boone who directs an elaborate fantasy play

In terms of audacity, creativity and thinking outside the box, Laura Boone has got it all. More than that, she has created her own theatrical genre, specific to Oxford, and her performances have sold out year-on-year.

Oxage was the result and its interactive, in-the-round blend of theatre and story-telling is far removed from the traditional bums-on-seats medium of theatre as possible.

Looking around her after graduating in performance arts, the 28-year-old realised that Oxford was already overloaded on the arts scene, especially where open-air theatre was concerned. To stand a chance, she realised she need to come up with a whole new premise for her work.

“I wanted to be different,” she says. “I wanted it to be more about the story than the stage, so the locations came first. Once I had picked them, the story developed fast. From the beginning, the intention was to immerse and involve the audience as much as possible.”

For those of you who have already witnessed the Oxage spectacle, Laura’s made-up world involves Utopia, Oxage and Dystopia. The fantasy piece, which involves the audience being lead around Oxford as the story unfolds around them, is related by narrators as the characters fight on – good against evil.

Hoisting them from a medieval world of perfection into a modern kingdom where sin and technology are rife, the hero Hope, played by up-and-coming Oxford actress Olivia Frazer-Smith, soon realises that there’s no going back. This will be part three of the Oxage trilogy (don’t worry you won’t miss out if you haven’t seen the first two) and Laura is then closing the lid, so if you want to witness what the fuss is all about, you’ll need to get in there quick.

“I wanted to bring the story to a natural conclusion,” the mental health worker explained, “rather than stringing it out and losing the essence of Oxage.”

Livvi, who has starred in all three Oxage shows as the heroine Hope, adds: “Oxage has been such a big part of my life that it’s going to be really hard to leave it behind. But I suppose we all need to move on with our careers,” she shrugs. “I will miss Oxage’s creative energy the most once part three is over because Laura is such an incredible story-teller and gives such great depth to her characters.”

The final part, Love, Faith, Hope, features Princess Hope and her allies facing a battle for their homeland, the world of Oxage. The audience is brought right into the heart of the intrigue, action and romance in Columbus’ Church. The fates of Hope, her lover Sat, the heroic warrior Phoenix and their allies and enemies will then all be revealed in the hour-long performance.

Leaving the best to last, Laura adds that the audience is vital this time around because they have to decide on the final ending. “I didn’t know which one to choose, so it will be up to the audience on the night to decipher how the Oxage story ends,” Laura says. So is she proud of their achievements? “If Oxage achieves anything it will be making people think creatively about the world around them and how they can change things. But personally I’ve loved every minute of it.”

* For tickets and information visit wegottickets.com/FairyDustArts