Step into the action and become whoever you want to be. Experience an alternate dream world. Connect with a stranger. Explore Alice’s wonderland. Become a secret agent or the mastermind criminal. Party with Jay Gatsby. Join the war room and determine the fate of your country. Dive into the world of your favourite films. Have one of the craziest or most touching moments of your life.
This is immersive theatre.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, comes in three parts. First you must create an immersive theatre database, including performances, locations, dates and intel on the production companies. Next, find me all the dirt you can. Give me all the reviews. Whether it’s Lyn Gardner or your next-door neighbour’s blog, I want all of it. Finally, you must create a bibliography of everything every expert and academic has ever said on this topic, with a glossary of all the important words I might come across. You’re on the front lines of one of the most exciting emergent forms of contemporary theatre out there, our mole behind the scenes. Don’t let me down.
I suppose if my undergraduate research scholarship was an immersive show itself, that’s how I’d start it, with my brilliant academic lead, Dr Joanna Bucknell, playing the role of the voice in the machine.
Immersive Theatre, for those who don’t know, is a relatively new genre where audiences are encouraged to participate with the performers in the same space. Levels of interaction can vary but there is usually an emphasis on creating a unique experience for the spectator. This was the kind of stuff I loved. Theatre that pushes the boundaries and takes advantage of theatre being live. It was incredible to be working on an artistic movement that was so new and it felt like I was making a real contribution to the artistic and academic world with my work. I was interacting with primary sources directly from the production companies and first-hand accounts, which was integral to the study of a genre that is still developing, and as I was identifying trends and defining terms in the immersive sphere, I had a realisation that I may be one of the first to be looking at the industry with this bird’s eye view and it got me really excited about how I could potentially contribute in the future.
As part of my project I was lucky enough to meet with Becky Brown, Creative Producer of Specifiq theatre company and organiser of The Gunpowder Plot, a running series of events in which professionals that work in immersive theatre come together to discuss how the industry might change and grow. She told me how she could use the database I was making to help her connect and unionise the immersive industry formally and I was proud to see how my work could potentially have impact on the work of others.
UGRS has felt like an important stepping stone in my career path and has made me excited to continue my studies in Contemporary Theatre to a master’s level. The challenges posed by the scholarship have given me a lot of confidence and have made me feel uniquely equipped compared to other undergraduate students.
Ben Cammack, BA Drama and Theatre Arts