Maya Phillips

Now, don’t get me wrong. I know that being able to procrastinate is pretty much a prerequisite for college. All I’m saying is that sometimes Facebook and reality tv can get dull, and do you really want to get started on that five page paper? I didn’t think so. So, I’ve got two new, creative ways to soak up some of that excess time this week--anyone up for a trip for the theatre?

1. Sleep No More. Now I love old Billie Shakespeare, but I’ve begun to think that there’s only so many times I can see his plays reinterpreted in a new context. I stand corrected. Sleep No More combines Shakespeare with Hitchcock in the trippiest interpretation of Macbeth that I’ve ever seen. Set in an old school, the show plays around with the idea of “adventure theatre,” in which every classroom is intricately designed to illustrate some scene or aspect from the classic play. You wander through the dark school, through classrooms hiding bloody bathtubs, bedrooms, and forests. Each person’s experience is different based on the rooms you discover, and the actors you encounter in them. The actors are the best part of the show--they walk among the voyeurs, then run from room to room acting out scenes from the play. You can switch from character to character and get different perspectives; but prepare to get your exercise--the actors really run from floor to floor. Every scene is silent, but don’t think you’ll be bored. The murder scenes, the orgy scene, and the nude, ritualistic dance beneath strobe lights are enough to keep anyone entertained. The show’s a bit pricey, but definitely worth it. Playing in the Old Lincoln School in Brookline Village through January 3.

2. Reckless. This dark comedy proves over and over again that not everything is as it seems. In this bittersweet Christmas story, a woman named Rachel discovers on Christmas Eve that her husband took out a contract on her life. She finds a home with a social worker and his mute, deaf, paraplegic girlfriend, only to find out that they also have their secrets. Comical in its absurdity and surprising in its twists of plot, this show is for those who seek to forget reality for the sake of a Christmas nightmare come true. Playing at the Boston Center for the Arts through December 12.