Immersive theatre is becoming more and more popular in London. When I first came across this form of theatre, I didn’t fully understand what it was. I obviously thought oh, immersive meaning being involved in something, and theatre being performance, which must mean it’s a play where the audience is involved and surrounded by the performance itself. An actor from the immersive play The Great Gatsby defined the immersive part as being ‘when the actors know you guys are there’ (not the exact words but the basis of what he said). I had reservations about it at first also because I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but now I’ve experienced it, these reservations are now non-existent.
I have seen two immersive plays so far, which were A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Great Gatsby. These were two very different experiences, which I will detail to you within this article to allow you to get a feel for the immersive experience you may encounter if you decide to see an immersive play yourself (I would!).
A Midsummer Night’s Dream-
A Midsummer Night’s Dream was a play I enjoyed very much, not only due to the very talented actresses and actors, including Gwendoline Christie from A Game of Thrones who played Hippolyta/ Titania and Hammed Animashaun who played Bottom, but also due to the amazing performers, such as gymnasts and singers, who perform very close to you if you stood in the pit which was the immersive experience part. There were some twists to the original play, and this made the adaptation more exciting, as well as added a lot of humour to it.
Pros-
- You are directly where the performance is happening, meaning you get fantastic views and feel like you are involved within it
- The performance wasn’t just about acting, it was also complemented by gymnasts, dancers, and singers.
- The audience in the stalls were involved at times e.g. someone’s phone was used, but not too much
- Very well organised and ran smoothly
- At the end, you got to party with the cast with giant balls being thrown around
- Was cheaper to get these standing, immersive tickets than the seating tickets (only paid 15 pounds via TodayTix)
Cons-
- You have to stand for the whole performance which was around 3 hours including an interval (please wear comfortable shoes; I didn’t do this, and my feet were killing me by the end, so don’t be as stupid as me!)
- You cannot guarantee a good view at all times (the stage is constantly moving, but it is unlikely you wouldn’t be able to see; even I could see basically at all times and I’m not very tall)
- You may not be able to see every single detail (depending on where you stand, you may be focussed on one side, but this can even happen with seats depending on the seating plan and where you sit)
- A lot of the times I stood in places where the actors/actresses needed to get past me, so I was pushed a few times (but this is to be expected given that we were where the actors/actresses needed to be and are in their territory!)
The Great Gatsby-
Like I said at the beginning of this article, The Great Gatsby was a completely different experience to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, particularly in terms of the layout; A Midsummer Night’s Dream was in one room, whereas The Great Gatsby had one main room which wasn’t very big, and then a little room too. This made The Great Gatsby feel a lot more casual, whereas A Midsummer Night’s Dream felt a lot more professional. Still, even though these had different feels in terms of atmosphere, I did also enjoy The Great Gatsby.
Pros-
- The actors and actresses involved a lot of members of the audience, which added a more fun and comedic elements to the play. It also allowed you to feel like you were actually within the events of the play.
- Lots of opportunities to sit down if you were quick enough to get a seat or find a spot to sit if you did not want to stand for the whole play
- Actors organised people to make sure that if people were seated, there weren’t people standing in front of them, to allow everyone to have a good view
- Lots of singing and dancing, including teaching the audience a small dance routine and doing this with the actors/actresses which was pretty fun
- Very talented actors/actresses- in acting, dancing, and singing
Cons-
- A few times, they split us into two rooms where two different scenes happened, so you missed a few scenes and this was a bit disappointing
- The different rooms also meant it didn’t flow very well- it was quite broken up and sporadic
- Felt they changed some of the characters from the book a little too much- particularly George Wilson and Myrtle, with George Wilson not being a mechanic.
- Didn’t feel like a theatre performance but instead felt more like an experience (which in some ways isn’t a con depending on personal expectations)
Overall, I would definitely recommend going to see an immersive play when you get the chance, because it’s quite a different experience and I feel it is one you’ll either really love or really hate, but it’s something that is good to try at least once. No matter what play you see, you can definitely expect to feel like you are a part of the play more than you would with seated tickets, and are more likely to have better, more closer views. TodayTix and TimeOut are places to get really cheap tickets also, so be on the lookout!