Opening at Stone Nest this week is a very intriguing participatory installation, inspired by tactical tabletop war games, and set on the morning of 6 January 2021 – the day that the US Capitol in Washington was attacked by supporters of Donald Trump. 

Called ‘Fight For America!’, it’s an event that explores political division and the dynamics of political conflict. Audiences will play the game, but if you’d rather take a backseat, observer tickets are available too. 

It’s produced by US-based company The American Vicarious, whose Artistic Director, Christopher McElroen, directs the show. I spoke to him to find out more. 

Caro: Can you start by telling us a bit about the concept, or format, of ‘Fight For America!’? What kind of event is this? What can audiences expect? 
Christopher: The short answer? It’s game night with family members you might politically disagree with – but can still engage with through a game.

The longer answer: ‘Fight For America!’ is an immersive, participatory performance built around a large-scale tabletop wargame.

The event invites 20 players to step into a reimagined version of January 6th, 2021, taking on opposing roles to play out the day’s events. An audience observes, moves through the space and, at times, participates in the experience.

It’s not traditional theatre and it’s not just a game. It’s a hybrid: a collision of gaming culture and live performance. There’s music, video, theatrical lighting, a social atmosphere, a gamemaster – Uncle Sam – and a fourteen foot model of the US Capitol surrounded by 10,000 miniatures. 

Audiences can expect strategy, spectacle and moments of deep reflection. The experience challenges both players and observers to consider what they believe in, how far they’re willing to go to defend it and what that reveals about the state of global democracy today.

Caro: What ideas and themes are central to the show? 
Christopher: At its core, ‘Fight For America!’ is about participation – both in the game and in democracy.

The piece explores how easily political competition can turn into existential conflict, and how the language of “winning” and “losing” undermines the idea of a shared civic space.

We’re also looking at how belief, identity and community can drive people to take action – for better or worse. The game format forces players to confront how far they’re willing to go to achieve their goals and what compromises they’re willing to make along the way.

More broadly, it’s a reflection on the fragility of democracy, the dangers of political extremism and the human tendency to perform ideology when the stakes feel high.

It’s also about the possibility of dialogue – because, in the end, the game only works if people choose to engage with one another.

Caro: Can you explain what your objective was in creating this? What was the inspiration for it? 
Christopher: The inspiration for ‘Fight For America!’ came from a conversation with my collaborator Neal Wilkinson, who first approached my company The American Vicarious with the idea.

We were both struck by how much of what unfolded on January 6th felt like people acting out a game: dressing in costume, filming themselves, performing for an audience and treating democracy like something to be won or lost.

Our objective wasn’t to recreate January 6th, but to explore the forces behind it. What happens when political competition turns into a zero-sum game? What happens when democracy is treated as performance?

We wanted to create a space where people could confront those questions – not through lectures or headlines, but through participation. At its heart, this is about using art to foster reflection.

By stepping into the uncertainty of that day, players and audiences alike are asked to think about what they believe in, what they’re willing to fight for, and what kind of democracy they want to help create.

Caro: Does the show have a message?
Christopher: It’s not a piece with a single message, it’s a space for engagement. We didn’t set out to make a partisan work or to tell the audience what to think.

What we’re interested in is participation: what happens when you step into a contested space, when you’re asked to make choices and confront the consequences of those choices in real time?

Of course, the subject matter is political. It has to be, because democracy is political. But the project is not about taking sides.

It’s about exploring how easily division escalates, how belief shapes behaviour and how fragile the democratic process can become when it’s reduced to a game of winning at all costs.

We hope that by engaging with it, players and audiences will walk away thinking about their own role in democracy – and maybe see the forces shaping our politics a little more clearly.

CM: Can you tell us about the creative process of putting this together? 
Christopher: The process was unusual – but in some ways familiar – in that it was deeply collaborative. We were working with a team of designers, but unlike a traditional theatrical process, we really didn’t know exactly what we were creating at the start.

And in some ways, we still don’t, because ‘Fight For America!’ changes every time it’s played. The experience depends entirely on who’s in the room and how the game unfolds that night.

Instead of rehearsals, we held game testing sessions. Those were essential, not only to refine the mechanics, but to understand how players and audiences engaged with the material.

It was through those sessions that the shape of the piece really emerged. The unpredictability is part of what makes the project so alive – no two nights are the same.

CM: It sounds like the game has some intricate elements – I’m thinking about the handpainted miniatures – can you tell us about that and how they were created?
Christopher: Yes, the game has some incredibly intricate elements and the miniatures are a big part of that.

We worked with Alessio Cavatore, designer of ‘Warhammer 40K’ and ‘Bolt Action’, to create the game mechanics, and with Stephen May to design the 28mm miniatures representing protesters, police and key figures from the day. Each one was 3D-modeled and then printed for the installation.

Then came the hand-painting, which has been an enormous, painstaking process. We started painting in April 2024 – and we’re still painting. In fact, I painted a few today as we prepare for opening.

But that effort is what gives the game its texture and visual impact. The detail matters: these aren’t abstract pieces on a board; they’re people. And when you see thousands of them massed around the Capitol, it hits differently.

CM: Can you tell us about your fellow creatives on this project?
Christopher: I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with a team of gifted, generous collaborators on this project.

What makes this group special is that they trusted each other and the idea from the beginning – and, more importantly, they trusted the sincerity of our desire to explore this subject matter.

This is a complicated, emotionally charged topic, and everyone involved – from Neal Wilkinson, who first brought the idea forward, to Alessio Cavatore, to our extended team of designers, artists and performers – approached it with care, thoughtfulness, and a willingness to wrestle with the uncomfortable parts of the work.

It’s been a true collaboration across disciplines: game design, 3D design, visual art, performance, history and civic dialogue.

The project simply wouldn’t exist without that kind of trust and shared commitment to exploring the fragility of democracy and the forces that continue to test it.

CM: Can you tell us a bit about yourself now? How did you come to be working in the arts and what made you want to pursue this career? 
Christopher: In college I had to pick between a theatre class and a political science class. The latter was already an interest of mine. The former was unfamiliar – and therefore, a little scary –  so I chose the thing that scared me.

In doing so, I found a way to express myself and, unexpectedly, a way to explore the political questions that had always interested me. That combination – art and civic inquiry – has guided my work ever since.

CM: What have been the highlights of your career thus far?
Christopher: I’ll keep this answer focused on ‘Fight For America!’, because when you’re working on any project, it’s the only project that exists while you’re in it.

One of the real highlights has been engaging with former US Capitol Police officers during the development of this work – earning their trust and confidence to, in some small part, help tell their story.

One moment that really stood out: after experiencing the event, one of those officers gave us their challenge coin, a deeply personal gesture of trust and respect. In return, we shared a miniature of that officer, created as part of the game.

That exchange captured what we hope this project can do: build trust, foster dialogue and truthfully represent the events of January 6th – especially as that history is actively being rewritten.

CM: What aims and ambitions do you have for the future?
Christopher: Honestly, my immediate aim is simple: to find at least 20 people a night over the next several weeks and engage with them as they play ‘Fight For America!’ 

CM: What’s coming up next for you after this?  
Christopher: It’s hard to think beyond ‘Fight For America!’ at the moment, but our production of ‘Debate: Baldwin vs Buckley’ is eyeing a return to London in 2026.

I’m also developing a new play with Christopher Eccleston, written by Joe Ahearne, that explores Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch – the idea of a ‘superman’ or idealised individual – and how that philosophy has been used to justify violence and authoritarian power.

‘Fight For America!’ is on at Stone Nest from 11 Jun-7 Jul. See the venue website here for more information and to book tickets. 

LINKS: stonenest.org | fightforamerica.games | theamericanvicarious.org | instagram.com/fightforamericawargame