| I'll take a stab at it, though I agree the term is an elusive one. I'd call a performance immersive if it calls on (engages, invites, or requires) the audience to do more than witness a story from the comfortable, somewhat passive role of observer. This may be done by staging (the revival of "Candide" was noted for this), by making the audience an active player (as in the voting in "Drood"), or some other way. I don't think the physical distance between performers and audience is itself sufficient for the experience to be immersive. I've been in community theatres with a stage and house the sizes of restrooms and the conventions of separation of production and audience have been maintained. |
