What Does Immersive Mean to Us

Welcome to Immersive Scene Los Angeles, your go-to site for all that is the best in interactive entertainment in the City of Angels.  Our seasonal site, Halloween Scene Los Angeles, covers the spooky season while ISLA keeps you updated on immersive options for the rest of the year.  We hope you’ll join us on this exciting journey!

So, what exactly do we mean by immersive?

"Sleep No More"

Immersive theatre might seem like a recent trend, but it has deep historical roots. A decade ago, the Macbeth-inspired "Sleep No More" captivated audiences in 2011. Before that, "Total Eclipse," in 1994, and the epic "Tamara," in 1984, which played for nine years in Los Angeles after successful runs in Toronto and New York City, set the stage for immersive experiences. Going further back, the 1960s saw Richard Schechner exploring site-specific and environmental performances, while Antonin Artaud's "Theater of Cruelty" broke new ground thirty years earlier. Even Ancient Roman theatre had immersive elements, drawing audiences into the action. Experiential entertainment has been around for a long time – probably even back to some cave man taking a semi-willing guest and pulling them into his fireside storytelling.   However long the concept of immersive experience and immersive theatre have existed, the art form is now truly hitting its stride.

We’re sure the world of immersive is entering its golden period in 2025.

"Poe-Etique"

So this "new" art form isn't as new as it seems. However, it’s currently experiencing explosive growth as production companies, theatres, writers, directors, and producers discover innovative ways to break down the barrier between performer and audience. This creates a unique collaborative experience known as immersive theatre, where the audience becomes an integral part of the performance. The fourth wall disappears.

Think of the sudden popularity as being the internet trickle-down effect, where anyone with a cell phone can create their own selfies, videos, and sketches. It's no surprise that these newly inspired self-creators want to participate in larger, more professional productions than what they can make at home. In essence, the audience has finally caught up to the art form, and they can't get enough of this old-is-new entertainment.

In the participatory world that we’ll write about here at Immersive Scene Los Angeles, you're in the story, not just watching it.  You interact with the performers, not just view them from afar.  You become part of the narrative, not just an observer.  You and other guests are invited to be involved in a never-to-be-seen-in-the-same-way creation, to the extent and willingness of your comfort level.  Can you just stand back and watch it all unfold and not be part of the immersion?  Sure.  But why not dive in and surrender to the deepest level of the experience?  All our welcome.

That’s what Immersive Scene Los Angeles is here to cover.

"The Soul of Millions of Light Years Away"

And it doesn’t have to be just theatre.  What about art?  Years ago in New York, artists who asked the public to join in their creations included Red Grooms, whose participatory art installations had patrons literally walking in them and through them. Christophe took the same approach but X 10, sometimes X 100 in his mammoth art environments, one time including turning Central Park into the world's largest laundry line.

Is it any wonder then that immersion as an art form has also caught on in music, museums, poetry readings, bars and clubs, graveyards even, and anywhere else people can gather to watch and participate in an experiential performance?

Immersive Scene Los Angeles will view, review and bring the news of the brightest, coolest, edgiest and most memorable immersive options that the city and surroundings has to offer.  So, don’t worry about missing the boat.  We’ll curate all that we find and steer you to what we feel are the must-sees for the year ahead.