An OKC theater has created a guided audio tour of downtown. Here's what to know if you go.

Gathered in a circle in the peaceful East Garden of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, the opening-night attendees of "Of a Mind: Oklahoma City" were encouraged to look around and really see each other.

"And don't forget to breathe," Hugh Farrell gently intoned in our ears.

Created and presented by Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre (aka OKC Rep), "Of a Mind: OKC" offers an unlikely fusion of low-key urban adventure, mindfulness exercises and immersive storytelling using advanced streaming and audio technology. Although its dependence on technology proved both a blessing and a curse for me, the third and final title on the regional professional theater's refreshingly innovative spring "Reboot Season" is a unique and memorable theatrical experience.

A collective audio journey, "Of a Mind: OKC" set off April 30, and select dates continue Thursdays-Sundays through May 29.

What will you experience if you go to 'Of a Mind: OKC?'

"Of a Mind: OKC" is a guided audio tour that takes groups of ticketholders on a nearly one-mile trek across part of downtown Oklahoma City. Attendees are cautioned not to be late, to wear appropriate footwear for walking (including on some uneven ground) and to dress for the Oklahoma weather.

The jaunt not only offers fresh views of familiar sights like the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the Survivor Tree and the shiny towers of OKC's urban core but also enthusiastically explores hidden highlights like pocket parks, parking garages and phone booths (yes, we still have a few tucked away in downtown).

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As with a more traditional theater experience, there are specific showtimes, with each tour limited to 30 ticketholders. Along with their e-tickets, attendees receive an email prior to their showtime with instructions to download the free LimeStreamer app, bring headphones or earbuds, charge their cellphones and have data roaming and 4G enabled. These instructions are vital as the entire audio experience is streamed and it's impossible to participate if you aren't willing and able do that.

The "lobby" for the presentation is Kerr Park, where attendees are gathered and grounded with a short set of movement and meditation exercises before setting off on foot. Along the way, local dancers join the group for structured improvisational performances and to coordinate some fun surprises.

In addition to the performers, ushers accompany the group to ensure no one gets lost and help with any issues that arise.

How does the audio experience work?

During the steady walk, ticketholders are guided through their earphones by "Of a Mind: OKC" co-creator Hugh Farrell, a Dubliner who narrates the 70-minute tour in his appealing Irish accent.

Along with leading the occasional mindfulness moment and offering periodic reminders to breathe, Farrell introduces the audience to a series of local storytellers, including OKC Councilman James Cooper and Factory Obscura co-founder Kelsey Karper, who share their experiences and impressions of OKC.

These audio stories have been recorded on binaural microphones, so it really sounds like the speakers are walking alongside you, which is remarkable. Also remarkable — and occasionally disconcerting — are the sounds of children playing, skateboarders cruising and trains rolling by, which are captured so clearly that it can take a bit of getting used to hearing what isn't there.

The sounds, stories and narration all are underpinned by Dublin-based composer Kevin McNamara's lovely and evocative original score. Although "Of a Mind: OKC" is devised as a group experience — and it can also take a quick minute to get used to having a collective experience when everyone is wearing headphones or has in their earbuds — the whole audio presentation was so engaging I wish the theater would offer it as a download so I could listen again.

"Of a Mind: OKC" is a fulfilling, singular and even sometimes profound experience when the technology is working properly, but it can be frustrating when it doesn't. In my case, my year-old Samsung Galaxy S21 had undergone a new software update so it couldn't run the streaming app. OKC Rep provided me with a borrowed iPhone, but I couldn't always get a good connection and lost the stream several times. The frequent troubleshooting took me out of what was an otherwise engrossing experience.

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Who created 'Of a Mind: OKC?'

New Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Kelly Kerwin is part of the creative team for "Of a Mind: Oklahoma City." Kerwin and her collaborators — who hail from OKC, New York City, New Orleans and Dublin — worked for weeks to create an immersive guided audio tour exploring her new home's urban core.

Along with Kerwin, Farrell and McNamara, the creative team includes OKC choreographer Hui Cha Poos, who is the movement director for the production; co-creator Emily Zemba, a New York playwright originally from Connecticut; and sound designer Tyler Kieffer, who hails from New Orleans but is based in NYC and leads with Farrell an artist collective called Listen and Breathe.

The third title Kerwin has programmed for Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre, "Of a Mind: OKC" is even more unconventional than the other shows she booked for the spring "Reboot Season." Her bold and experimental approach to theater has me excited to see what OKC Rep will do next.

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'OF A MIND: OKLAHOMA CITY'

When: Through May 29.

Where: Starts in Kerr Park, 102 Robert S Kerr Ave., downtown Oklahoma City.

Tickets and information: https://www.okcrep.org/of-a-mind-oklahoma-city.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma City theater has created a guided audio tour of downtown