What makes 'Immersive Theatre' immersive?

The genre of 'Immersive Theatre' is a form of performance that focuses on creating personal and unique audience experiences (Machon, 2013). It does this through the use of audience participation and environmental theatre - which is when the delineation between the audience’s space and the actors’ space is eliminated (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009). In turn, this allows for an open and tangible environment that an audience can explore, either freely or within a structure, allowing the audience to be further immersed into the world of the piece. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider the scenographic design and the actor-audience relationship when developing a piece of Immersive Theatre (Machon, 2013).

Scenographic design refers to the work that goes behind building the physical space of a performance (e.g. the set) - companies that make immersive theatre will often use a site-specific space to facilitate a certain atmosphere that builds the audience's immersion. They will not only focus on what audiences can see and hear but also on taste, touch and smell.

For example, Punchdrunk is a company known for their large-scale productions set within fully functioning villages with installations such as working pubs and candle-making shops. They transport their audiences into different worlds and let them roam free whilst experiencing their own unique journies.

However, these vast and intricate sets can create a unique risk. When I saw Punchdrunk’s 'Sleep no More' in 2016, I found myself repeatedly lost due to the lack of structure.

'Sleep No More' invited me to follow my own curiosity: weaving in and out of rooms and following different characters, But instead of forming a bond with the environment, I felt frustrated by it as I walked into empty room after empty room. It didn't matter how much detail there was, or what props I could up because I had become disconnected from the story.

In one instance, upon walking into an empty office covered in paperwork - I could not find one thing that I could connect to the narrative. I found inventory lists and budgetary sheets - which I will admit, did make the world feel more real - However, they told me nothing about how the characters felt.

That isn't to say that there aren’t any story contextual artefacts within 'Sleep No More' as there are multiple letters that have been written by the different characters that can be found on the set. However, due to the vastness of the world that has been built and the lack of structure within it, it was difficult to piece everything together. There were just too many unnecessary details that lead me down dead ends and further away from the narrative.

All of this left me feeling frustrated and desperate to find something that I could engage with, taking me out of the immersion. However, if I had been given more time and guidance about where to explore before going into the experience, I would have been able to find the connections between the different characters and story elements. There are many people that have had amazing experiences with Punchdrunk and 'Sleep No More', but this is often down to the fact that they happened to be in the right place at the right time.

In T.V. and film, it is forgivable to misdirect the audience with world-building fluff and convoluted storylines due to the fact that at-home audiences can pause, rewind and re-watch to make sure that you have connected all the right dots. On the other hand, live theatre does not have the same safety net; if an audience member wants to go back and look at something they will have to buy another ticket and experience the whole show again - which can be expensive and time-consuming.

There is a fine balance between world immersion and narrative immersion - but if done correctly, it can have an icreadibly positive impact on the audience's experience. Take 'Rise of the Tomb Raider' as an example. My favourite part of any of the three Tomb Raider games from the reboot trilogy (2013-2018) was a story-driven DLC titled BABA YAGA: TEMPLE OF THE WITCH. The main objective sends you off to find an NPC's grandfather, who was last seen tracking down an old 'witch', Baba Yaga.

Like the rest of the game, the DLC is open world, therefore along the journey the player has the option to explore their environment further than what the narrative asks. This is supported by optional collectable artefacts - often in the form of old diary entries and written letters and notes. Some players will opt out of this as it is not crucial to the narrative or the mission. However, players that want to enrich their experience further can take their time to find these artefacts and learn more about the world.

These artefacts piece together the image of a man who had been imprisoned in a Russian Gulag in which this part of the game is set. The more collectables found the more is understood about this man and the relationships he had with the other prisoners, including his wife. It doesn't take long before it is heavily implied that the people referenced in these artefacts are the grandfather and his wife who is later revealed as the witch Baba Yaga.

These written artefacts increasingly build tension as the player gets closer to finding out what happened to this unfortunate couple. In this case, the world immersion (written artefacts) directly added to the narrative immersion (the story of the old man and his estranged wife). It doesn’t distract the audience with irrelevant information.

Unfortunately, 'Sleep no more' focused too much on world-building, and due to its large scale and lack of structure, it was difficult to connect the world immersion to the narrative; adding to the lack of engagement I experienced.

Punchdrunk are brilliant at building fully realised worlds, with rich detail, candlelit rooms, hidden artefacts, and handwritten letters that all add to a very real environment. However, in this instance, they failed to add to the narrative in a meaningful way. I was simply taken out of the immersion whenever I hit a dead-end, or when the seemingly disconnected moments I stumbled across failed to build any tension.

In order to make their shows more accessible, Punchdrunk should add subtle structure to their experiences. For example, an AR app could offer audience members clues and information about the characters and narrative as well as guidance as to how to navigate the space.

In immersive theatre, the actor-audience relationship is heavily dependent on making sure that the individual audience member is the focus of the work (Machno, 2013). Companies like Gecko emphasise that it is their responsibility as theatre-makers to put the audience at the "heart of the narrative", to both "inspire and entertain" them (Gecko, 2014).

Gecko also aim to create shows that audience members can interpret personally. One way that they do this is through the use of language. Gecko‘s performers are from all over the world and are encouraged by the artistic director to use their own language in the productions. For example, during their shows, there will be one performer that speaks only in French, another that speaks only in Spanish, etc.

Amit Lahav, Artistic Director of Gecko, often states that he has never been interested in using the English language as a form of communication. This is because he believes that disarming the part of the brain that craves this type of communication forces his audience to engage in a more visceral way (Gecko, 2014). It also means that the audience will leave the show with their own unique interpretation of what they believe happened.

Gecko also work without scripts in order to allow their audiences to shape the experience. This allows the performers to feed off of the audience, much like a musician at a concert (Lahav, 2016). For example, the actor–audience relationship will differ depending on the type of energy in the room. If an audience member is quiet and laid back, they will have a different experience from someone who is eager and involved, as the performer will need to put in additional effort and energy for the more reserved individual.

Everyone enters a room with their own unique lens that has been moulded by their own experiences and Gecko aims to harness this by facilitating a show that can be personally interpreted.

“If everyone came out of the theatre and had the exact same interpretation I would have failed. I would have nailed it down too heavily...I think the number one thing for me is that people have gone on an individual journey that is pertinent to them. I want somebody to feel that the thing has spoken to them...Nothing is literal and yet it’s all completely human and recognisable.” - Amit Lahav (Brown, 2017)

However, Gecko Theatre do not produce fully immersive shows as they still commit to having two separate spaces for the audience (who sit in their seats) and the actors (who perform on a stage). Therefore, if they wish to offer their audiences a more immersive experience, they should invite them to enter the same space as the performers. This will not only strengthen the audience/actor relationship but also make the world of the piece feel more real.

Furthermore, companies can allow their audiences to make meaningful choices to increase audience engagement. UK-based company COLAB Theatre make immersive and interactive theatre experiences that allow their audience to help tell the story. They use augmented reality, escape room type puzzles, horror attraction tactics and sometimes live performance to completely immerse their audience into the world of the narrative. For example, their show ‘Spy City’ is an intimate performance where audience members must go on an undercover mission across London to rescue captured agents.

‘Spy City’ features a high-pressured heist where the participants must sneak in and out of a building avoiding enemy guards. COLAB uses theatrical performance, role-playing scenarios and puzzles (COLAB A, n.d.).

Furthermore, their show ‘Fifth Column’ uses AR to create a cloak and dagger mission where participants must discover secret packages, decipher coded messages, track enemy spies and uncover the city treasures (COLAB, 2014).

Unfortunately, it can be disruptive when a piece of site-specific theatre set in the streets of London requires each of the participants to have up to date technology with a working phone signal. There are limitations to the accessibility of immersive technology, these limitations are affected by factors such as age and cost. For example, if the quality of the experience relies on the quality of the participant's phone and signal; this can create problems if the participant does not have or can not afford top-of-the-line hardware and/or software.

Further, there is a digital divide between older and younger demographics, an older participant might not know how to use their phone correctly and efficiently, a potential side effect of this could be that throughout the experience the older participants frequently have to ask for help, thus breaking the immersion and dampening their enjoyment. In addition, when said technology glitches, that can also take the audience out of the experience. If a piece of media relies heavily on the stability of technology, one must make sure that every possible risk is accounted for. Therefore, COLAB needs to make sure they are facilitating for older participants or people without up to date tech by supplying the devices and offering tutorials.

Punchdrunk have also been looking at how gaming trends are influencing the future of live experiences. They are currently collaborating with technologists and creatives to explore environmental sound to develop spatial audio for 3D environments, audience tracking to allow for an increased personalised experience for large audiences, and stand-alone effect control to implement theatrical effects with AR (Punchdrunk A, 2021).

Furthermore, Punchdrunk have also been working with the software development company, Niantic, who are best known for creating augmented reality apps like ‘Pokémon Go’ and ‘Harry Potter: Wizards Unite’. Together they are working to redefine the norms of mobile gaming (Punchdrunk B, 2021).

This recent move towards more interactive content using immersive technology is very exciting, especially in live theatre, an industry that is being increasingly marginalised due to an aging audience and a lack of funding (Delgado; Svich, 2002). Companies, old and new, are daring to take risks and invest in new projects to keep up with changing trends - supported by funding organisations such as Industrial Strategy (Immerse UK, n.d). Gregory Dornan, the artistic director of the RSC believes that the use of this kind of technology could inspire more interest in theatre, especially from young people who are already so familiar with the world of video games (Alberge, 2021). Further, Sarah Ellis, the RSC’s director of digital development, recently said: "Through gaming technology, we’re now creating a piece of live performance, not a game – and we hope it will once again bring together generations, either through the Shakespeare or the technology” (Alberge, 2021).

In conclusion;

To create my own piece of immersive theatre I must carefully consider what relationship I wish for my audiences to have with the experience; I will also need to work out how I intend to build that relationship. I am very interested in how using augmented reality puts my audience directly into the narrative, enabling them to interact with the story. Therefore, I will need to balance the interactivity with the narrativity.

To do so, I will make the narrative open and malleable for audience interaction by developing a non-linear storyline that lets my audience decide what they want to explore when they want to explore. Throughout the experience there will be a number of different puzzles participants need to solve, it will be up to them in what order they solve the puzzles and how they priorities them, which will lead to two very different endings.

These interactive elements - like puzzle solving - will need to continue to link back to the story so as not to take my audience away from the narrative.

For example, one of the clues my participants will need to access will be hidden inside the main character's (Megan Spencer) Facebook page. To get into the Facebook account, the participants will need to find out what the password is. To do so they will need to explore the space using an AR application that lets them scan photos and objects to reveal videos and voice recordings from Megan's life which will offer more information on character and narrative. Hidden in these will be the clues and passwords which participants need to solve the puzzles.

Here’s a prototype of this kind of application that I made last semester which presents two types of AR:

1) a replacement image that swaps an existing photo with another, and

2) a video overlay that turns a static photograph into a video clip.

I have got to the point with Unity and Vuforia where I am confident working with them - I have started to learn C# scripting which has been a challenge but luckily there is a lot of support online, and by experimenting and pushing its boundaries, I have begun to understand where its limits lie. For example, Vuforia is really great at recognising different types of visual objects, however, the object often has to be set up in a very specific position to work. This means there might be certain photos or objects that I choose to glue down, however, this could have a negative impact on the world immersion. Another downside with Vuforia is that it is not free software - there is a free version, however, it puts a watermark on the application which creates a world-breaking issue. It might not be too distracting, but it is something I will have to test.

I would like my audience to be able to piece everything together and solve all the puzzles necessary before the end of the experience. Therefore, I will have to find ways to offer my audience enough guidance that nudges them in the right direction, but not so much that I end up breaking the world immersion by pointing out clues too obviously. One way I can do this is by having an actor join the participants throughout the experience - she would have to match the participants flow and pace, but perhaps she has a direct connection to Megan, so can offer help when participants are stuck, such as telling them "Megan's favourite flower is a lily." Which is a flexible solution to the narrativity vs interactivity problem.

To pull this off I will need to carefully decide how many puzzles I want to include, as well as how many steps it takes to solve each one. I will then need to test these puzzles on a number of people in order to understand how achievable and engaging the puzzles are; if I need to adjust them; and if I need to add any more or less. I have never designed puzzles before so it will be a new challenge for me, however, I play a lot of puzzle-based games and feel confident that I will be able to transfer my experience from consumer to creative. One thing I am concerned about is whether or not I will be able to create Facebook pages for all my characters due to the company's strict policies and community standards. I have already attempted to make an account for my character Megan and it was immediately disabled - I have since determined that this was because I did not offer enough personal data to back up the legitimacy of this account. Therefore, I either need to find a more flexible social media platform, or build up my character's legitimacy. The latter will most likely prove to be a lot more time-consuming and challenging than the former, thus I will explore that route first.

Furthermore, I will need to consider the key narrative points I wish to present through the AR artefacts; therefore, I need to write a script and plot out a rough skeleton of the entire piece. This will help me understand what my audience/actor relationship is and how I can go about developing it. I have had significant experience in writing and devising as a recent graduate of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and feel confident that I will be able to achieve these tasks - they will be challenging and demand precise project planning and time management, but with the help of software such as Asana I feel certain that I will be able to execute them at a high level. Before I write the script I need to decide on who my audience is and why I am producing this experience.

My reason for doing this MA is to understand how I can modernise live theatre to attract younger audiences to remind our communities of the relevance of theatre and live experiences. This is because young adults (16-34) are driving the UK's viewing habits and influencing trends (Ofcom, 2020). Furthermore, a study by Scott Nicholson, a professor of game design and development, revealed that the largest age group of escape room participants are adults over the age of 21 (Nicholson, 2016). This is still incredibly vague as it is a huge age bracket, however, I am able to use both sources to help write my script and determine the age of my targert demographic: 21-34yrs.

Nicholson's study also reveals that there is an equal split between male and female participants, as well as the average team size in Europe is 4 people (Nicholson, 2016). All of which develops my understanding of the actor/audience relationship.

I will also need to decide what my environment is and how I can stimulate and engage my audiences’ senses. For example, what can I bring to the experience that will leave a lasting taste in their mouth - Is there a way I can completely transport them to somewhere else using both immersive technology and real tangible props and sets?

Spatial audio allows me to create the illusion of a 3D environment using sound by setting up multiple speakers in different corners of the room

I will also look into projection mapping and how I can use it in conjunction with 360 video/imagery. I have played around with Unity, Unreal, and Insta 360 (a 360 camera) to build 3D environments - Unreal proved to be my favourite as it allows me to create photorealistic environments with a lot of creative freedom. However, it is important that I don't get carried away with world-building; therefore, it makes more sense to choose the insta 360 as it is a much faster process and allows me to focus more on other aspects of the project such as making AR artefacts and writing the narrative. The insta 360 is an incredibly easy camera to use - The camera does have very little battery and has a tendency to overheat, and the app is slightly limited, but for its price, it's a great piece of tech that comes with its own free software.

when developing a complex environment It's important that I offer my participants guidance; this is another great opportunity for my AR application. Participants using the app will be able to clearly see which objects they can and can't interact with and therefore, which objects are worth inspecting. On the other hand, if my audience isn't able to freely interact with what they want to interact with they might become frustrated, which will affect their overall experience. Therefore, I need to find a way to make them want to interact with what I want them to interact with. This comes down to researching how to subliminally manipulate audiences - something that a lot of videogame developers and conent creators are very good at, however, will it be trickier to do within an open live experience?

"Mobile devices are incredibly powerful these days and we are aiming to harness that power to give you narrative through your phone. The end goal of integrating mobile technology is to give audiences enough agency so that they can embody a character themselves, rather than being a completely passive bystander." (COLAB B, n.d)

Alberge, D. (2021) Is this an avatar I see before me? Audience takes to stage in virtual Shakespeare play

Brown, F. (2017) Review: The Wedding @ HOME, Manchester. [online] Mancunian Matters. Available at: <https://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/entertainment/15092017-review-the-wedding-home-manchester/> [Accessed 13th February 2021]

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<http://scottnicholson.com/pubs/stateofescape.pdf>

Ofcom (2020) Media Nations 2020: UK Report. London: Ofcom

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2009). Environmental Theatre. [online] Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/art/environmental-theatre.> [Accesed 12th February 2021]

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