Immersiveness of Stage Practices: What Makes Them Immersive

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to identify and characterise the main features of immersive stage practices, including: the uncertainty of the stage space, the multidimensionality of the narrative, interactivity, sensory involvement. The research methodology consists in applying a number of methods and approaches. General scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalisation) and special ones, in particular integrated from art history. For example, the phenomenological approach emphasises the individual experience of encountering a work of art and made it possible to analyse the specifics of immersive art through the prism of the viewer’s perception. The scientific novelty of the study lies in identifying key factors that influence the creation of the immersion effect in stage practices. Conclusions. Immersive stage practices are classified as an experimental theatrical form. They expand traditional ideas about stage art, creating new forms of communication between the actor, dramatic story, space and viewer. The main characteristics of immersive stage practices include: changes in interaction with the audience, when the viewer becomes an active participant in the action, maximally involving himself in it; the uncertainty of space, which allows the stage form to adapt to different places and spaces, transforming non-traditional places into a dramatic environment; a multi-level narrative, when stories are deprived of meaning, and events unfold nonlinearly according to different plots and in different spaces that the viewer chooses independently; sensory involvement through the activation of various senses evokes strong emotions, allowing the viewer to directly experience the story; the role of the artist, who is preparing to play in uncertain circumstances, changes, which, in turn, stimulates his creative development; interactivity – communication with actors, behind-the-scenes acquaintance with the creative process.