This book comes at a potential tipping point for those of us who study and practise theatre. In the age of Web 2.0, immersive practice looks forward to a rich style of developing affective storytelling and connection via theatrical performance. At the heart of this book is an assessment of the state of theatre at the outset of an existential crisis, looking for ways to bring its audience back into the fold.

William Lewis, New Theatre Quarterly, Vol. 31 (3)

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.

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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.

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List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Preface
Contributing Artists and their Practice
Introduction: Immersive Theatres Intimacy and Immediacy in Contemporary Performance
PART I
1. Definitions and Details
2. Features & Finer Details: A Scale of Immersivity
3. Immersive Perspectives
PART II
4. Introduction: Immersion, intimacy and Immediacy in Practice
5. Michael Morris of Artangel
6. Felix Barrett of Punchdrunk
7. Bruce Gladwin of Back To Back Theatre
8. Lundahl & Seitl
9. Silvia Mercuriali
10. Tassos Stevens of Coney
11. Sam Holdsworth of Nimble Fish
12. Punchdrunk Enrichment
13. Louise Ann Wilson
14. Bill Mitchell and Sue Hill of WildWorks
15. Adrian Howells
16. Tristan Sharps of dreamthinkspeak
17. Conclusion: Immersive Theatres
Recommended Reading and Research
Bibliography
Index.

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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
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Contains a broad range of examples of immersive theatres that are physical, sensual and participatory

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781137019837
Publisert
2013-05-31
Utgiver
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Vekt
440 gr
Høyde
211 mm
Bredde
137 mm
Dybde
20 mm
Aldersnivå
Lower undergraduate, UF, P, 05, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
344

Redaktør

Biografisk notat

Josephine Machon is Senior Research Fellow in Contemporary Performance Practice at Middlesex University, London, UK. She is the author of (Syn)aesthetics: Redefining Visceral Performance (2009, 2011). Josephine is also the co-editor of Performance and Technology (2006), Sensualities/Textualities and Technologies (2010) and Identity, Performance and Technology (2012) and joint editor of the Palgrave Macmillan Series in Performance and Technology.