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Thesis
They don't always know what they're going to do, but they know how to do it: managing immersive theatre
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Dec 2021
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000923
Abstract
Immersive theatre is a growing creative industry in the United States today, both in its own right and in connection to the current trend of experiential marketing. Despite this, the current body of academic literature is sparse on research into the experiences and needs of immersive theatre administrators and managers, including best practices in safety and business model and business structure considerations for founders. This thesis explores the concerns central to running an immersive theatre company, including how managers handle and facilitate the development of artist-audience relationships in immersive theatre productions; what special considerations managers need to make for site-specific immersive work; how managers acquire immersive management knowledge; and what changes in praxis are on the horizon due to changes in the theatre landscape as a result of COVID-19. These questions are explored through multiple case studies on successful immersive theatre companies of varying sizes currently operating in the United States, chiefly through interviewing administrators, managers, and other personnel at each company to learn from their perspectives on their work. The data collected in this process leads us to discover that a framework of immersive management will require a reimagining of theatre managerial responsibilities as they are currently understood in order to accommodate the specialized circumstances in immersive productions. Furthermore, the research conducted herein suggests that there is much more ground to be broken in this field of study, and the author concludes with suggestions for further avenues of study based on interview data from active practitioners.
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Details
- Title
- They don't always know what they're going to do, but they know how to do it
- Creators
- Sara Lyons
- Contributors
- Pamela Yau (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- viii, 147 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Arts Administration; Arts and Entertainment Enterprise; Drexel University; Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
- Other Identifier
- 991016053931304721