Beyond Immersive Theatre

Adam Alston is Lecturer in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Surrey, UK. His research explores immersive theatre, theatre in the dark, and a range of themes in contemporary theatre including secrecy, labour and error. He is a contributing editor to Contemporary Theatre Review’s Interventions and a Creative Associate with Curious Directive.

• Introduction.- 1.Theatre in a Box: Affect and Narcissism in Ray Lee’s Cold Storage.- 2.Theatre in the Dark: Spectatorship and Risk in Lundahl & Seitl’s Pitch-black Theatre.- 3.Theatre through the Fireplace: Punchdrunk and the Neoliberal Ethos.- 4.Frustrating Theatre: Shunt in the Experience Economy.- 5.Theatre in the Marketplace: Immaterial Production in Theatre Delicatessen’s Theatre Souks.- Conclusion.

“Beyond Immersive Theatre asks important questions and offers apposite interpretations according to the parameters for analysis it sets. These undoubtedly inform and challenge the reader. … I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in engaging in discussion around, and beyond, the aesthetics and politics of immersive theatre.” (Josephine Machon, Journal of Contemporary Drama in English, Vol. 6 (2), November, 2018)