The Magic Circle: An Exploration in Immersive Theatre

Abstract

When discussing theatre, most people will imagine a traditional audience-actor relationship, likely in a proscenium setting; the actors on stage inhabit the world of the story while audience members remain passive bystanders. Immersive theatre challenges this convention by bringing the audience into the world of the story. Comparable to being immersed in water, the audience members are fully submerged in this new world; senses are engaged and heightened, and curiosity is peaked. The audience becomes a part of the story world alongside the actors as the border between the real and the fictional becomes blurred. In the world of games and digital media, this border is known as the “magic circle”, a space with unique rules and values separate from day-to-day reality. Though this metaphor was created to describe a game space, it can be argued that audience members in immersive theatre performances have become “players” themselves.
 In this project, I explore the “play” aspect of immersive theatre, with a particular focus in the area of pervasive gaming. This project includes research from a variety of theatre practitioners, theorists, and game designers including Janet Murray, Josephine Machon, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman. Inspired by that research, I am creating a pervasive game designed to be played in and around the city of Kingston. The goal of this project is to further understand the ways in which theatre and gaming are intrinsically linked while experimenting with form and pushing the boundaries of the magic circle.