Immersive Theatre: The Idea Of Interaction With The Audience

It is important to start by outlining what is immersive theatre. The main difference from immersive to traditional theatre is that it removes the physical stage and seeks to engage the audience within the performance. This engagement can be achieved in a variety of ways, for example, through the use of space, interaction, allocation of roles and sensual experiences which aim to provide the audience with a different offer to that of traditional theatre. Immersive theatre can be described as experimental in nature given the wide range of variables involved which mean that each performance will differ.

Alternatively, proscenium arch theatre refers to what most people would consider to be traditional theatre. It is performed on a stage with the audience sitting in front looking on from the auditorium. In proscenium theatre there is a clear divide between the audience and the stage with the physical presence of the arch that creates the fourth wall.

From the audience’s perspective there is one simple view of the performance on stage in front of them. For the performers it does place some limitations on how they can use that physical space and their bodies with a need to ensure that visually this can be seen by the audience through the frame of the arch. There are advantages in that performers are able to hide in the wings ensuring the audience’s attention is directly with those on stage within each scene. It provides greater opportunity for set changes with props being able to be introduced for individual scenes. The disadvantages are that visually some areas of the audiences will not get full view of the performance and there is a lack of intimacy through the clear demarcation between audience and stage.

Interaction

Over the last century although proscenium arch theatre is still one of the most common types of theatre for ‘mainstream’ performances there has been a movement to introducing other forms of theatre such as immersive theatre that increase the interaction between the audience and the performers. Interaction is a key aspect of immersive theatre with productions seeking to gain active participation of the audience in the performance and offer a different experience to that of proscenium arch theatre.

Many people go to the theatre with the aim of escapism. This can often be in a passive way though with the desire to submerge themselves in the production and be able to forget everyday worries. If you attend an immersive theatre production it would be difficult to be a passive bystander. The nature of the production requires, if not demands audience members to become a part of the action at whatever level they feel is appropriate.

Helen Freshwater in her book Theatre and Audience (2009) states that “the presence of an audience is central to the definition of theatre, and the twentieth century saw an explosion in interest of the audience’s role among experimental theatre practitioners”. In immersive theatre the line between the audience and the actor is blurred as the audience now acts as a witness to the events of the story that unfolds before them.

Freshwater further questions the specific role of the audience and asks, ‘Do spectators simply watch? Or are they gazing, or gawking? Are they impartial observers, innocent bystanders, or voyeurs?” The way in which she describes the audience and their relationship with a performance suggests the role of a simple onlooker is not enough and the language she uses is not entirely positive in the roles she describes they may play. What role they choose is their choice and determines how they will receive that performance. The role of the audience is something that is often reflected on by many modern-day theatre practitioners. Freshwater provides many interactive examples of the encounters of audience engagement that can be achieved spanning from Brecht’s epic theatre to the performance art stage productions of the Blue Man Group. Need example from book.

Josephine Machon (2013) also highlights the interactive nature of immersive theatre advising that “the traditional boundaries, roles and definitions shared between the performance and the audience member are blurred, destroyed and reinvented.” In immersive theatre, the traditional lay out of the audience being separated from the performer by a proscenium is challenged and changed according to what role they want the audience to play a part of in the piece. Whether that having them move around the space, guided with eye contact and dialogue or if they are given a more physical role and are challenged to mingle amongst the performers.

Consent

However, by removing the barrier and promoting interaction, both performer and audience member are present to more risks and consent both on the part of the performer and the audience member is a vitally important issue to be considered.

Alexis Soloski (The Guardian 2018) there is a focus on Punchdrunks’ Sleep No More and the issue of consent. The concept of immersive theatre was popularised by well-known UK based theatre company Punchdrunk in 2003 after ‘No More Sleep’, their 1930’s inspired rendition of Shakespeare’s Macbeth was well received in New York. The story is told not so much through narrative but through choreographed dance and fight scenes with the audience moving with the actors through dimly lit rooms. Audience members are asked to wear masks.

Soloski talks about complaints from the company’s performers in regard to alleged sexual assault by audience members. “Because it’s an immersive production, there is no proscenium dividing actor and spectator, no seats to stay in. Audiences are masked and allowed to go and do more or less wherever and whatever they want, contributing to a sense of anonymity and permissiveness”. Whilst the performance form focuses on allowing the audience to lose themselves in a completely imaginary world, is there a boundary that can be crossed too easily in immersive theatre? By giving an audience member a role to play provides them with a sense of anonymity as they are now a part of the piece and by doing this grants them perceived freedom of behaviour of how they see fit of that character. As one would expect, a good percentage of that crowd of patrons who have paid to come and be a part of this experience are people who are unfamiliar with the performers on a personal level, and have most likely never met them before. So potentially there may be unexpected behaviour from some audience members when they are presented a piece like this in such an environment where the normal rules and boundaries of everyday life have been removed.

It goes to question what type of rules are put in place to protect the performer from incidents like this. The Sleep No More producers claim that there is plenty of security, but performers dispute this. Only recently has a line been added to the show asking audience members to “keep a respectful distance” from the performers. You would think that with a performance following this concept that it is expected to have rules presented to the audience of what they can and cannot do. However, in a production like Sleep No More where the actors are allowed to grab audience members to move them aside for more one-to-one scenes, it may seem unfair to the audience that they are not able to do the same. It also raises the question of the level of consent that the performers should have towards the audience.

Emma Burnell (The Independent 2018) also highlights the risks of blurring boundaries advising that “Immersive theatre can allow people to explore their sexuality in new, interesting ways in what are seen as safe spaces. Expand more on the reference to sexuality show – is this experimental just because it challenges taboos in regard to what may be performed publicly? But some audience members have exploited this openness, while others may simply feel unsure about what is expected of them.”

Burnell writes about theatre companies such as ONEOHONE Theatre who are far more explicit in their terms of consent towards the audience as a lot of their pieces focus intently on the relationship between the performers and audience members. She describes a system of sashes that have to be worn by the audience and which must remain visible. These signal the status of the audience member. If it is removed it signifies that they are removing themselves from the performance and are not at that stage an active participant. They are still able to watch and can chose to put the sash back on at a later stage and re-engage with the performance.

However, this lack of separation can cause anxiety. If an audience member is not expecting to become part of the performance or is uncomfortable with that idea, it can be very off-putting so there must be some form of consent between the performer and the audience. Whether that’s the conscious decision to take a performer’s outstretched hand or knowing that one has the safety net of being able to back away from the performance, there must still exist some form of separation and boundaries between performance and audience for the benefit of everyone involved.

Space and location

Another important feature of immersive theatre is the use of space and location within which to set the performance. An immersive performance aims to create a personal and individual audience experience by highlighting the space and design and how different environments can be used to enhance the performance.

My own first personal experience of immersive theatre was in 2011 at the age of twelve, on a holiday to Cornwall and the Eden Project. The company NoFit State had been commissioned as part of the Eden Project’s ten-year anniversary celebrations to perform a new show Labyrinth. This is an excellent example as to how space and different locations are used to enhance the performance. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Eden Project the audience moved with the performers from the biomes to the hilly areas to large tents set within the outdoor gardens – no sitting involved! It was colourful, frenetic and loud with circus tricks being performed amidst the narrative. It was daylight when we started but dark as we moved into the final scenes, all contributing to the atmosphere and experience. In truth, I was too young to understand whether there was a story to be followed but was conscious that this was the first time I had experienced theatre in this way and it had a definite impact on my senses and still remains in my memory.

I have already referenced No More Sleep by Punchdrunk as an example of heightened interaction by the audience within the performance. The show also serves to demonstrate how alternative locations can be used to enhance the performance. The production was set in an old hotel where the audience moved around from location to location throughout the building to watch different scenes from the piece. Ben Brantley (New York Times 2011) describes it as a production “which leads its audience on a merry, macabre chase up and down stairs, and through minimally illuminated, furniture-cluttered rooms and corridors. The creative team here has taken on the duties of messing with your head, which they do just as thoroughly as any artificial stimulant.” The piece removes nearly all dialogue and the audience is allowed to freely move around the performance space as they please and encouraged to inspect parts of the set and also props.

Why is it experimental in nature

Why might immersive theatre be considered to be experimental in nature? The variety of ways in which a production may be performed certainly pushes the boundaries against what is considered to be traditional theatre. Many of the examples described here are certainly outside of what would be considered to be conventional theatre. They challenge our norms of behaviour, they invite the audience to behave in ways they may not otherwise do and certainly leave the audience member with the feeling of having had a different type of experience to that of the conventions of a proscenium arch production. When reading reviews of the various productions I have referenced, it was interesting to examine the reviews left by members of the public. They range greatly for different performances in terms of positive comments identifying that the show offered a theatre experience like no other to negative comments describing the performances as not making sense, interactive nature at times unnecessary and distracting from the content of the show. This is to be expected though whether a performance is immersive and may be deemed to be experimental or if the theatre goer has attended a more conventional performance. Opinions and reviews will always be divided.

Secret Cinema which was created in 2007 specialises in immersive cinema experiences using some our greatest classic movies for their performance. They identify their work as “the closest you’ll get to living the movie. Dressed as part of the cast you can choose to blend right in with the crowd or take centre stage as your reality blurs with that of the story”. They describe themselves as “creating 360 degree participatory worlds where the boundaries between performer and audience, set and reality are constantly shifting”. They are an example of immersive theatre that in my view, whilst initially their style may have been considered to be experimental the genre they present is becoming more mainstream. It is more common to hear of themed weekends e.g. Agatha Christie style whodunits, with increasing numbers of the public signing up to participate within these fun events.

ONEOHONE works with a small audience who are directly involved in their performance. They use a mixture of techniques which include suggestion technique, physical theatre and improvisation to support their storytelling. Give example of production

What experience does immersive theatre offer the audience?

Immersive theatre does offer the audience an experience and this is certainly the phrase regularly used on public review sites although it is not always clear what this actually means to the individual. Emma Burnell (The Independent 2018) states that “Audiences often drive the action and it can be a physically and emotionally intense experience.” It gives them a sense of identity with the piece and makes them feel more a part of the direction of the story as they are given a role and function within it. It allows them to challenge their own morals and question their own beliefs. By making a personal contribution does it make the audience member develop a greater opinion or judgement on the story given it is certainly not the passive experience of an onlooker and the separating factor the proscenium arch may be considered to provide.

I would like to explore further how immersive theatre whilst considered experimental has reached out now into other forms of entertainment which may be may be experienced by wider and more mainstream audiences. Disney Parks and other theme parks are now investing in immersive theatre as a way of providing an enhanced experience for their visitors. When you consider the Disney theme parks there are already performers in costumes throughout the park interacting with the public within the context of their characters with the aim of providing an immersive theatre experience. In 2017 they announced plans to develop a completely immersive Star Wars park which would build on the public affinity for this film series with recreated sets, live actors and rides. Theme parks are ideal for expanding into immersive experiences and introduce a wider audience into the concept of becoming part of a performance and leaving behind the previously held norms and behaviour of everyday life.

The Global Association for the Industries Attractions (2018) identified that “A report from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) in 2015 found story immersion and theming to be the biggest trends among the more than 300 amusement parks in Europe”.

Bryan Bishop (2017) also references the Disney projects stating that “if immersive entertainment has been percolating just out of sight of most consumers, then the 2019 opening of Star Wars land may be the moment it all goes mainstream”. Bishop expands to state that “Immersive entertainment is a way to describe any medium that lets an audience member walk into a fictional world. It could be virtual reality. It could be augmented reality. It could even be a haunted house. One of the things that makes it somewhat unique, is the absolute importance of place, and that sense of presence. It’s place, and then it’s characters with which you engage in that place, in a way that isn’t possible in any other medium, like film or television.”