The route to immersion: a conceptual framework for cross-disciplinary immersive theatre and experiences

Abstract

The trend of immersive theatre, which began in the first decade of the twenty-first century, and has quickly established itself in contemporary mainstream theatre, is a subset of the larger phenomenon of emerging immersive experiences, which has expanded into a variety of fields, including healthcare, marketing, and education. This paper aims to provide a revised conceptual framework from the context of design through technologies with an addition of bodily immersion, or a sensation of bodily transference, creating illusory ownership over a virtual body, and activating praesence, a lived experience of the physical body responding within an imaginative, sensual environment, produced with the help of immersive technology. This concept, taken from the field of theatre and performance, is combined with four other components (systems, spatial, social/empathic, and narrative/sequential) to produce an immersive experience that realises the fullest potential of immersion. The proposed framework serves as a valuable guideline for creating immersive experiences across multiple disciplines, benefiting both creators and participants by enhancing comprehension and setting expectations. Additionally, it can be utilised by academics and students as a criteria for evaluation and analysis.