Tech Theatre Too Effective?

An immersive theatre production has been too effective in scaring audience with some vomiting during the performance.

17:03 02 June 2015

An impressive theater production, which has been designed to make the audience feel as if they are part of the plot, has terrified people so much that they have lost control of their bladders or vomited during the performance. This week, Swipe filmed at the huge underground warehouse set of The Generation of Z: Apocalypse. 

 

The show's producer, Charlie McDermott, said: "We use pre-recorded camera trickery to show the illusion of hundreds of zombies pouring into the facility.

 

"Then we have live sound effects and actors banging on the walls."

 

As the immersive theatre blur the lines between actors and the audience, actor Benjamin Farry, said it has some drawbacks. 

 

"I've been attacked by audience members ... We've had a woman lose control of her bladder, we've had a teenage boy get overwhelmed and vomit on the floor."

 

Meanwhile, Holly Williams, who reviews theatre for the Independent, said: "If you are just over-reliant on video screens or projections or whizzy tech or using your phone or Skype or whatever, then sometimes that can seem like it's just there to be a bit clever rather than to actually really add anything to the theatrical experience."