SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class 2
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Level 156 is the 157th Level of the Backrooms. It is the backstage of a high school drama production.
Description:
Level 156 is the backstage of a high school's theater. It is consisted of three areas: The Backstage, Ms. Moore's Office, and the Changing Room. From conversations with entities in the level and sounds from the main stage, there are plays being performed constantly with audiences in the seating area.
It is possible for wanderer's to go up to the stage, and is even encouraged by entities in the level, yet any explorers who enter the stage never return. Wanderers should ignore the advice by entities and never enter the stage area.
Starting from approximately one hour after the wanderer enters this level, the entities will immediately start to persuade them to go up to the stage. As time proceeds, their words would become irresistible. For this reason, wanderers are only encouraged to stay in this level for no more than one hour.
Areas:
The Backstage:
This is the main area of this level. The lights are off and wanderers are only allowed to whisper in this area. There are props laying around, and entities may pass by now and then. Faint and undistinguishable speaking and occasional laughter from the audience can be heard. There is a small door on the right side of The Backstage that leads to Ms. Moore's Office, and a downward staircase on the left side that leads to the level's exit and the Changing Room.
Ms. Moore's Office:
This area is a small office for "student actors" to rest, chat and relax. In contrast to The Backstage area, the lights are turned on, and wanderers are allowed to talk quietly. It has several sofas, a large table, and a small desk with books on it. The books are usually about acting and/or teaching. There are some handmade posters on the wall, including "Julius Caesar," "Mamma Mia!" and some posters for unknown plays.
On the large table can be found a 9-inch cake with pink icing that spells "Break A Leg!", a tray of chocolate chip cookies, regular snacks, and bottles of Almond Water. All food are consumable, and the M.E.G. encourages wanderers to consume or take them.
A humanoid entity, "Emma," can be found sitting next to the table. See more in "Entities" section.
The Changing Room:
The Changing Room can be reached by going all the way down from the staircase located at the left of The Backstage. It is a brown wooden door with a sign that says "Please knock before you enter! Thank you."
The door is locked, yet when wanderers knock on the door, an unknown, gender-neutral voice will either say "Oh, come in" or "You're fine to come in now". There is a small chance that the voice will say "Ummm, sorry, please wait a second," followed by some giggling from an unknown group of females. One minute later, a female voice will say "Everyone dressed? Ok, now you may come in." In either circumstance, the door will unlock after the voices speak.
If the wanderer attempts to enter without knocking, the gender-neutral voice will speak in an unpleasant tone and say that they should knock first. Apologizing will make the door unlock. Ignoring or insulting the voice again will make the door remain locked until the next time the wanderer enters Level 156.
The Changing Room itself is an infinite space full of repeating dressing tables, costume racks, and storage cardboard boxes. Wanderers may find costumes and makeup products here, and there are no entities in the Changing Room.
Entities:
There are numerous humanoid entities in Level 156, which are the "student actors," "Ms. Moore," and "Emma." They are mainly harmless for the first hour, but can be increasingly dangerous as time proceeds. For unknown reasons, they are unable to be harmed by any substance, and they are also not affected by Almond Water. The M.E.G. do not encourage wanderers to communicate with any entities listed below. See M.E.G. Level 156 Audio Log-17.
The Student Actors:
The student actors are a group of entities who resemble human teenagers, and are usually seen with costumes. The number of student actors is not constant, but is usually between nine to twenty. They avoid long conversations and rather answer questions with quick whispers, because "the audience may hear us."
After a wanderer stays for roughly one hour, the student actors will start to encourage them to enter the stage, saying words like "Hey buddy, you're up!" or "Come on [wanderer's name], you're entering right after this scene. Get ready!" If wanderers are reluctant to enter the stage, they will continue to persuade the wanderers to do so. As time proceeds, their voices become more and more irresistible. If the wanderer is in the Changing Room, two student actors whose gender is same with the wanderer's would knock and walk in to persuade them, even if the wanderer has travelled deep into that infinite space. The reasoning behind this is still unexplained.
Ms. Moore:
Ms. Moore is an entity that resembles a tall Caucasian woman with short blonde hair and green eyes. Sometimes, she can be found in The Backstage area; other times, the student actors will tell the wanderers, "She is not here. She might be back later."
If the a wanderer interrupts the play in anyway (including speaking loudly, insulting other actors, and damaging props), Ms. Moore will appear and warn the wanderer. The second time wanderer interrupts the play, Ms. Moore would suggest that maybe they should "stay next to me until you are up." This command is irresistible, and the wanderer will walk up to the stage after around ten minutes. It is impossible to rescue wanderers from this state.
Emma:
Emma is an entity that resembles an Asian teenage girl with long black hair and black eyes. She can always be found in Ms. Moore's office, is friendly, and is always open to answer questions. However, The M.E.G. does not encourage wanderers to communicate with her. See Audio Log-17 below. Although Emma is friendly, she would join in to persuade the wanderers to go up stage as time proceeds.
Bases, Outposts and Communities
There are no known bases, outposts or communities on this Level.
Entrances And Exits:
Entrances
To enter, you must find a printed script of a play (the play could be any play of any genre, heard of or unheard of) with black captions on the front page that say "Spring Play." The contents of the script are undistinguishable as if it was printed by a malfunctioning printer. These scripts can be found in almost all levels, with the exception of Level 0. Holding the script in your hand and entering through any door can lead you to this level. The script will disappear after you enter.
Exits
Simply leave through the building's exit door (a black door with an exit sign, located across the Changing Room) would allow you to exit the level. The exit will lead you to Level 52, however there is a small chance that it would lead you to Level 117.
It is reported that after leaving this level, wanderers experience a feeling of "something great just ended"1 for ten minutes. Almond Water can help relieve this feeling.