Immersive Theater
Openly experimental plays are the pieces of performing arts that will try to say, “we’re breaking down forms” when they invite the audience into a space. We’re really putting things together differently. Be prepared for the adventure of an environmental movement of immersive theater.
These are examples of things that changed the relationship between the actor and the audience. You are much more directly involved and implicated. You’re not simply sort of sitting in a red tufted seat and behaving yourself and clapping when appropriate.
One of the preeminent examples at this moment is a remarkable piece called Sleep No More by an incredible company from England called Punchdrunk. This is a really remarkable exploration of a Shakespearean play and the source material within it. The audience actually walks into this incredible, abandoned hotel, which is a warehouse. You travel through it. You are really experiencing this in a truly immersive way.
There are many other remarkable companies, like Third Rail Projects, that are exploring this in really exciting ways. Again, location becomes really interesting. Now that is not all the kinds of theater there are in terms of genres, but it is a way to understand contemporary theater when studying performing arts education or online performing arts education.
