Audience engagement strategies in contemporary Lithuanian theatre

Abstract

Spectator participation in contemporary Lithuanian theatre is the subject of this article. To uncover, the subjects’ historical circumstances of “fourth wall”, origin and destruction were discussed. In addition, the international context in which the main methods of audience participation and directing strategies are purified (which has connections with immersive theatre, the use of media and technologies, community participation and discussions) is presented and analyzed. Included as well, along with the influence of the need for participation in the context of culture, specific cases from Lithuanian theatrical context with the directing strategies of audience’s involvement are discussed. The subject is relevant due to the current increase in attempts and strategies to draw in not only vision and hearing, but more of the individuals’ receptors in both the Lithuanian theatrical context and abroad. These strategies are usually tied into immersive theatre where the spectators’ choice of how and how much to participate in the action plays an important role. It is also intriguing that this kind of practice is usually dissociated from conventional theatre spaces and the term “immersive theatre” is rarely used in the critique of Lithuanian theatre.[...]