Recently I went to a Q&A session between the amiable Gareth White and Josephine Machon, academics and authors respectively of Audience Participation in Theatre and Immersive Theatres. Of the many topics covered in relation to immersive theatre practice, the most interesting and lively or the one which sparked the greatest degree of debate came from a discussion about the idea of 'contracts'.
If we buy a ticket, and know about the work of the company are we then signing an implicit contract which allows them to treat us as they wish? Does this allow us the option to opt in, but also the right to opt out?
Many people in the room felt excluded from immersive theatre events and took umbrage at paying £50+ in order to be manhandled and made to perform without fee. There was also a feeling that the more exclusive and personal the experience, the more expensive the ticket and the less chance there was of seeing an event. Many of us are familiar with the work of You Me Bum Bum Train or Punchdrunk without actually having the money or opportunity to see their work. Should this exclusivity be encouraged because of its opposition to the ubiquity of modern culture or is it a sign of elitism? The jury still seems out on whether an audience physically acting within a performance is a more engaging experience than an audience simply watching or listening. What was clear was that the more subtle and sophisticated the audience/ performer relationship development and the more attention paid by performers in constructing a place where the audience wants to engage, the more effective the performance? You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it wear a silly mask and perform if it doesn't want to.
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