A Gametastic Performance: What immersive theatre is learning from video gaming.

Abstract

Immersive performances have become increasingly popular in recent years, with an ever mounting number of productions claiming to be new 'immersive' experiences. This dissertation will question how theatre can learn from video gaming, in order to create an immersive production for the National Museum of Scotland's Game Masters Late on the 13th of February 2015. This dissertation will firstly, through research of current immersive practices, attempt to define immersive as a theatrical term. Through the practical exploration of the creation and refection of a performance this essay will aim to gain a greater understanding of what 'immersive' theatre is, and identify possible strategies to create a further 'immersive' experience. Using the key features of immersive theatre identified by Machon in her book, Immersive Theatres: Intimacy and Immediacy in Contemporary Performance this dissertation will create a scale of immersitivity. The performance Gametastic (2015) will be measured against other productions and reflected upon. Using the scale this study will discuss additional avenues for development of the performance and consider the further use of gaming within the piece to greaten the potential for immersion within the performance, pulling it towards Machon's 'total immersion' (appendix A). This project will create further possible avenues of study into developing the piece, to a lesser or greater degree of immersitivity through the incorporation of gaming.