What does Immersive Theatre ‘do’?
By contrasting two specific performances on the same theme – one an ‘immersive’ experience and the other a more conventional theatrical production – Nandita Dinesh explores the ways in which theatrical form impacts upon actors and audiences. An in-depth case study of her work Pinjare (Cages) sets out the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of her specific aesthetic framework. Memos from a Theatre Lab places Dinesh’s practical work within the context of existing analyses of Immersive Theatre, using this investigation to generate an underpinning theory of how Immersive Theatre works for its participants.
Introduction
Chapter One: The Framework
Chapter Two: The Two Performances
Chapter Three: The Data & the Spectators
Chapter Four: The Data & the Actors
Conclusions
Nandita Dinesh teaches Theatre Arts and is Associate Director at the Bartos Institute for the Constructive Engagement of Conflict at the United World College, New Mexico.
