Audience involvement is the new buzzword

Aerialists descend in a giant chandelier and lift a guest back up with them, a showgirl leads an audience member back in time to a 1920s Parisian nightclub and actors single out guests for a mysterious experience yet to come. Immersive theater productions such as Sleep No More, an adaptation of Macbeth that has been running in New York since 2011, have brought audiences into the performance. The latest immersive theater lures them in by giving them roles and responsibilities. “It is a necessary step in the evolution of the form,” said Noah J. Nelson, editor of the interactive theater guide No Proscenium. “Somebody had to try this and there is a real chance it could take off.”