Interactive theatre is a presentational or theatrical form or work that breaks the "fourth wall" that traditionally separates the performer from the audience both physically and verbally.
In traditional theatre, performance is limited to a designated stage area and the action of the play unfolds without audience members, who function as passive observers.
[citation needed] Conversely, in interactive theatre, the performance engages directly with audience members, making them active participants in the piece.
Space is an important factor: Interactive set designers "want rooms with character, with personality, so that we can work with [an audience member] as we would an actor.
As outlined in the book, PLAY: Dramaturgies of Participation (Playwrights Canada Press, 2024) by Jenn Stephenson and Mariah Horner, a particularly exploration of incorporating video games into theatre has emerged in Canada since the late 2010s, including works such as Foxconn Frequency No.3 by Hong Kong Exile, The Archive of Missing Things by Zuppa, Alone Together by Secret Theatre, asses.masses by Canadian artists Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim, and 2021 by Guilty by Association.
Realism can be difficult to achieve when the lines are blurred regarding plot, scenery, and conversation due to the fact that structure is not followed and imagination can change reality.
The purpose of this activity is to enable the future doctor to prepare herself for a variety of emotional outcomes where she will be able to deliver difficult news with the best bedside manner possible.
Out of 451 students who volunteered in a survey regarding the effectiveness of the program 89-94% agreed that using interactive role play theatre as an adjunct to their medical training helped them become better at communicating difficult news to an ill patient.
This type of behavior has been on the rise in the past decade, with more and more young audience members opposing traditional theatre rules and norms.
In order to determine the specific topics and situations in which to focus, researchers compiled a list of issues they believed would be beneficial and relevant to young adult lives.
They were asked to connect the play to their own lives and help conceive the top ten rules to stop such dangerous behaviors as well as reflect on the effectiveness of this unconventional learning strategy.