Immersive Theatres

Machon's book provides a thorough, detailed exploration of "immersive" theater...Though Machon is expressive throughout, she is at her best when she uses a broad array of theoretical lenses - drawn from anthropology, architecture, literature, performance, geography, philosophy, and visual art - in order to delineate what makes the referenced theaters immersive, immediate, and intimate. This is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in contemporary theater. Essential reading' - Choice 'A uniquely comprehensive and valuable text that I would have no hesitation in recommending to my students. The critical commentary combines with the rich collection of interviews to make an excellent resource for undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers and general interest readers.' - Sita Popat, Chair in Performance and Technology, University of Leeds, UK 'A useful and very necessary book. It is the first monograph that is solely devoted to immersive theatre, a phenomenon of huge popularity, which has nonetheless given both critics and scholars a hard time to pin down and to conceptualise... this volume is very much apt to spark scholarly debate on immersive theatre and advance its scholarly and aesthetic understanding.' - Journal of Contemporary Drama in English "Machon is deft in her acknowledgement that the practices she covers may, to some, fall outside the realm of 'theatre', but her contribution is important, attempting to establish and confirm a new form of theatrical enterprise outside the traditional model of passive spectatorship." - William Lewis, New Theatre Quarterly

This comprehensive text is the first survey to explore the theory, history and practice of immersive theatre. Charting the rise of the immersive theatre phenomenon, Josephine Machon shares her wealth of expertise in the field of contemporary performance, inviting the reader to immerse themselves within this abundantly illustrated text.

This comprehensive text is the first survey to explore the theory, history and practice of immersive theatre. Charting the rise of the immersive theatre phenomenon, Josephine Machon shares her wealth of expertise in the field of contemporary performance, inviting the reader to immerse themselves within this abundantly illustrated text. The first section of the book introduces concepts of immersion, situating them within a historical context and establishing a clear critical vocabulary for discussion. The second section then presents contributions from a wealth of immersive artists.

Assuming no prior knowledge with its critical commentary, this is a rich resource for lecturers and students at all levels and internationally, including undergraduates and post-graduates, as well as practitioners and researchers of contemporary performance. This would also be an ideal text for general enthusiasts and readers with an interest in immersive theatre.