The fourth wall and other ruins: Immersive theatre as a brand

Abstract

A former member of ritual theatre and film company FoolishPeople, Blyth argues that the most radical aspect of immersive theatre is neither its open structure nor its unconventional staging but rather the unique economic context which has fostered its development. Blyth demonstrates that immersive theatre’s success derives primarily from its ability to meet the demands of the modern marketing industry. In tracing the effects of the immersive “brand” upon FoolishPeople, she shows that, whilst the adoption of immersive tropes and language might have postponed the company’s disintegration, in so doing it has radically altered their former anti-theatrical raison d’être.