The Desire for Touch: Minimizing Risk in Immersive Theatre

Immersive theatre loves to tease: with a flirty look, a small gift, or a one-on-one interaction. It loves to drive us crazy- drawing us in through the senses, exposing us to a good love (or lust) story right in front of our eyes. Immersive theatre has the ability to intimately and viscerally challenge our assumptions about what theatre should be and accomplish. It activates the role of the audience, giving us, as spectators, an important role within the narrative.

However, with interest in immersive theatre continuing to grow, and especially after the allegations of sexual misconduct in 2018 at Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More, there is a greater conversation to be had. One which is frankly, more work for creators, but which is essential to progress the immersive theatre industry and keep our performers and audience members physically and emotionally safe. Thankfully, this conversation is not new, but at the same time, is not fully flushed out. Especially in performances with erotically charged or provocative content, senses are heightened and the desire for touch increases, therefore setting a strict boundary between the performance territory and the spectator’s reality will help prevent any unwanted encounters. In this post, I have outlined a few initial steps which creators can take to determine the best course of action for minimizing risk to all persons involved.

1. Establish the Degree of Touch

In immersive performance, I have identified the following three degrees of physical interaction:

With immersive theatre, every performance will be different and require a unique set of stipulations. One place to begin is by determining which degree of touch the production encourages and communicate it to the audience. When not informed beforehand, audience members can become confused about what they can and can not do in relation to touch. This ends up taking away from their experience, as they spend more time worrying about what to do than engaging with the production. Giving explicit instructions allows audience members to sink into the experience without worry, something every theatre creator wants. Transparency is key- and being upfront about the level of physical contact allowed will provide security for both the audience and the performers.

2. Post Pick-Your-Poison

After determining the degree of touch, the next step is to diagnose how to minimize and avoid risk. If you’re rolling with “No Touch“, your job is easier. Have a plan for if someone breaks protocol, and make sure you implement and practice it (having a safeword or physical cue from the performers is a great option here).

If you go with “One-Way Touch”, your job becomes a little harder. While protocol for performers can stay the same, now you have the audience members’ safety to focus on. This is where practices in affirmative consent can come in handy. Use a safeword (one which doesn’t make them feel uncomfortable to use), incorporate check-ins into the narrative (as simple as “how are you doing?), and train performers to look for signs of emotional distress. Especially with one-way touch, audience members may feel intimidated or powerless, so find ways to empower them so they feel control over their own bodies.

“Reciprocated Touch” gets even more complicated, even if as simple as taking a hand when offered. Many of the same procedures can apply, but the trick is finding the balance between giving the audience agency while still acknowledging the real-life boundaries which are necessary to maintain. The best combination I can suggest here is directly communicating the boundaries to the audience (that any kind of inappropriate touching will result in immediate removal) and follow through if needed, while also putting consent protocols in place for both audience and performers. Have procedures readily available to remove someone immediately, as well as resources and a safe space for performers to remove themselves or recover if needed.

3. Implement from Creation

Think about how to minimize risk FROM THE BEGINNING. From the very conception of a production. The more these protocols are ingrained in the work, the more cohesive and successful they will be. Think creatively- how can these procedures take place within the immersion of the piece? There’s always a way, and the sooner you begin thinking about it, the better off you’ll be.

With the right processes, a ’desire for touch’ can be a dramaturgical asset which draws people into the world of the performance, rather than a hindrance which only causes trouble. Immersive theatre is a sensitive field; all it takes is a few wrongdoings to taint the industry. But the more we continue to have conversations around minimizing risk, the more effective and affective the industry will be.