Interactive theatre is where the performers encourage members of the audience to discuss pertinent issues with them.
Interactive theatre is a form of theatre which seeks to blur the traditional distinction between the performers and the audience. In traditional theatre, the performance is limited to a stage area and the audience passively observes the action of the play as it unfolds. But in interactive theatre, the actors engage audience members directly, making them active participants.
There are different types of interactive theatre. In immersive theatre, for instance, the audience is invited to the same stage area or playing space as the performers. They may be asked to hold props or become characters in the play. In improvisational theatre, viewers are asked to give performance suggestions.
In interactive therapeutic or educational plays, the audience is encouraged to discuss pertinent issues with the performers.
In some interactive plays, the audience is asked to determine the ending of a play by participating in a collective vote. For example, in “Night of January 16th,” a 1934 courtroom drama by famed Russian-American writer Ayn Rand, the audience decides whether the defendant is guilty or not, thus playing the role of the jury.
Many practitioners of interactive theatre use the black box format. In such a format, the play is staged in a room with black walls, movable seating, lighting and a stage that is devised to create an immersive experience. Space is used in an innovative manner the audience may be seated in the centre, on revolving chairs and the stage surrounds them.
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