We live in a world of constant distractions, of sensory overload. Your phone buzzes, and ā snap ā your short-fuse concentration is broken; youāve stopped listening and youāve stopped watching whatās ahead of you. Grabbing peopleās attention, and holding onto it, is a challenge theater directors are finally taking on. The fourth wall is being broken down brick by brick, as more and more plays are being produced which use innovative, immersive and interactive ways to shake their audience out of their stupor.
Some of the works really do involve being pushed around. One example is 66 Minutes in Damascus, by site specific theater company Hydrocracker. In 2012 the basement of Shoreditch Town Hall was taken over by Hydrocracker, who converted the space into a mockup of a Syrian prison. Men with guns opened the show, shoving the audience and placing hoods over their heads ā the paying guests became British tourists in Damascus, caught by Assadās loyalists.
Also uncomfortable, but on a different level, is Hula House. At this yearās Edinburgh Fringe the general public are invited into an intimate living room space occupied by actors playing female sex workers. Developed with the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP), a campaign group for sex workers, itās an interactive piece where the two women play sexually provocative games in an attempt to challenge the audienceās preconceptions about the trade.
Mock executions might not be your cup of tea, but luckily thereās a great variety of immersive theater. Some of itās even suitable for children. Weāve rounded up five of the best companies worldwide:
1. Punchdrunk
Punchdrunk are the Godfather of immersive theater. Theyāre one of the oldest players in the game ā founded in 2000 ā and theyāre also one of the most prolific. Although they mostly operate in the United Kingdom, Punchdrunk have put on sell-out shows in Boston and New York. The set up usually involves the audience entering into rooms and spaces where stories are played out in front of them (the onus is then on the spectator to piece together the narrative). This summer theyāve been busy entertaining the young with Against Captainās Orders at Londonās National Maritime Museum. In NYC, you can enter a makeshift hotel for a macabre rendition of Macbeth in Sleep No More.
2. dreamthinkspeak
Formed in 1999 and the most international of the big names,Ā dreamthinkspeakĀ have lifted the figurative curtain in Australia, Holland, Japan, Moscow, South Korea and the UK. The company are known for their “site-responsive” work, for example their work āOne Day, Maybeā was inspired by the Gwangju Uprising and performed in an abandoned South Korean school. Expect a mixture of live performance, film and installations. Shoreditch Town Hall has become a popular place for immersive plays, andĀ dreamthinkspeakĀ are showing their latest work in the former council chambers until October.
3. Wilderness
The Los Angeles-based outfit Wilderness are part of the new generation of theater companies. Founded in 2011, theyāre already piquing a fair amount of interest. Like many of their contemporaries, they draw heavily on the classics in drafting their work. The Day Shall Declare It, which opened in February this year, used Tennessee Williamsā writing with words by an oral historian, patched together into a fragmented and sometimes contradictory narrative.
4. RIFT_
Londoners RIFT_ have a small but promising portfolio, with their most recent play ā Styx ā gaining considerable traction. Styx was built from the ground up: in an old warehouse a labyrinth of rooms, a river and a bridge were constructed by hand. Participants (a more suitable descriptor than audience) were stroked, cajoled and blindfolded. RIFT_ will be running the Shakespeare in Shoreditch festival until October.
5. Third Rail Projects
Third Rail Projects are a site-specific, immersive and experiential dance-theater company. The critically acclaimed āThen She Fellā is currently showing in Brooklyn. Itās an intimate experience, with just 15 audience members per show, and draws heavily on the writings of Lewis Carroll. Particularly appealing is the fact the experience includes āelixirsā made by one of the cityās best mixologists. Ā You just have to hope the potions donāt operate like in Alice in Wonderland. It’s staged in a creepy old institutional facility so youāll want to be the right size to get out of the door and leave after the show’s over.
What’s your favorite immersive theater experience? Please share in the comments below.
By Jo Eckersley
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