to reflect on the variety of immersive and interactive shows we've seen in 2024, we spoke to immersive creators, performers and writers from companies including COLAB Theatre, Phantom Peak , Deadweight Theatre and Sleepwalk Immersive to find out their favourite pieces of work from the year.
The Manikins: A Work In Progress
By Jack Aldisert, Deadweight Theatre
June-November 2024 at CRYPT, Kingswood Arts and Studio 55
Photo: Marc Tsang
When I first read the prototype script for The Manikins around this time last year, I was bowled over. It took several months and some revisions before it was possible to put it on at CRYPT, but it remains one of my favourite pieces of new immersive work ever.
Owen Kingston, Artistic Director, Parabolic Theatre and Bridge Command
Manikins is a shining example of how much small-scale immersive theatre can achieve. This show has more inventive ideas and novel approaches to immersing audiences than most shows with 6-8 figure budgets. The unique blurring of lines between the world of the play and the audience's reality makes the show gripping and inescapable, and the emerging gameplay offers a unique form of control that audiences can't experience in larger-scale productions. The Manikins uses its intimate nature as its greatest asset, focusing all of the production's attention on a singular audience member, firmly casting them as the driving force behind the narrative. Where bigger productions lean on a more anonymized approach to audience engagement (such as the masks in Punchdrunk productions, or casting audiences within a role like Phantom Peak or Bridge Command), Manikins examines each audience member's pre-existing identity and personality as a core focus of the experience. It allows the show a sense of focus and personalization that can't be found anywhere else. While it's hard to see how these techniques can be applied to a wider audience base, given time I'm sure that Jack Aldisert and Deadweight Theatre will find a solution that's just as inventive and original as their solo concept. I fully expect big things will be coming from this company in the future, especially as they expand into larger spaces and audience capacities.
Danny Romeo, Experience Director, Phantom Peak
A mind-blowing weird theatre experience, completely unlike anything else out there. Unparalleled emotional impact, all delivered by two actors and a stage manager in a simply furnished room. Cleverly constructed, thoughtfully delivered and quite literally mind-blowing. I can't wait to see what Deadweight get up to next.
Katy Naylor, Voidspace
So much of Jack's show was a knockout, but it's the repetition that really got me. I love repetition in art, particularly in music. The Manikins manipulated repetition so boldly that it gloriously fucked up everyone lucky enough to go.
Nathan Ess, Muddled Marauders
Very rarely do you find a show which successfully breaks your perception of what’s real and what is not. However, Jack and his team at Deadweight seemed to manage to do so with ease. I thought the performers were excellent and the simplicity of the set and tech allowed the fantastic writing to shine. From concept to execution, ‘The Manikins’ is one of the strongest pieces I’ve seen in recent memory and I look forward to seeing more creations from Deadweight.
Sebastian Huang, Sleepwalk Immersive
Bridge Command
March 2024 - Present in Vauxhall
Photo: Alex Brenner
Bridge Command is an absolute delight. While it's amazing to see Parabolic's years of hard work pay off, the show itself is more than the sum of its parts and is a powerhouse production within the London industry. The set is gorgeous, the tech is impressive, and the premise of flying a spaceship excites my inner child to no end. But what stands out most to me is the effortless collaboration between players that the show inspires. Whether you've known everyone on your team for years or met for the first time minutes ago, Bridge Command's gameplay demands fluid teamwork. I've played the experience twice, each with different groups, and both times our teams started out as individuals trying to be the hero. But the game quickly sets you on the right track, requiring fluid communication between job roles and rewarding groups who support each other. Both of my teams bonded quickly over the course of the show, and we celebrated our wins and losses as a singular unit, which is an impressive achievement for any immersive production. The scope of the show, which boasts an expansive catalogue of unique missions and a progression system, also seems exciting, but I've yet to experience it myself. Parabolic surely have plenty more surprises in store. Here's hoping that their tenure in Vauxhall is a long one, because Bridge Command is an excellent entry point for new audience members into the immersive industry and could prove to be one of the most important productions in the London immersive scene.
Danny Romeo, Experience Director, Phantom Peak
The big-budget remake of 2019's magical string and sticky tape predecessor delivers a complete storytelling experience. As you operate stations in a spaceship and interact with performers, every word and every pixel work together to create an experience where your actions matter - but also receive a satisfying narrative - without seeing the joins. Absolutely thrilled to see this show back, with the budget it deserves and as strong as ever.
Katy Naylor, Voidspace
I think what was achieved in terms of not only tech, but world-building and audience agency allowed me to fall into the role of a comms officer with complete immersion. I found the show to be a good balance of theatre and gaming and with multiple spacecrafts and missions, the draw to return is definitely strong.
Sebastian Huang, Sleepwalk Immersive
Parabolic being the classic, brilliant Parabolic. A well-designed game given a slab of cash just made it feel so immersive. There was a moment in the med bay (which I don't think we were supposed to be using - sorry gang!) but the scanner just made me giggle with glee.
Bertie Watkins, Founder/Director, COLAB Theatre
The Key of Dreams
April 2024 - Present in Treowen, Wales.
Photo: Lemon Difficult
This 24-hour horror adventure delivers on every front with a deep storyline that develops hour by hour to a satisfying finale, intense acting from a committed cast and a highly immersive environment.
Franco Milazzo, Critic, BroadwayWorld UK
Almost overwhelmingly dense world-building and lore to be uncovered in this 24-hour immersive/puzzle/sleuth/weird experience set in a 17c Welsh country house While hardcore clue hunters will love whipping around the place in a frenzy of discovery, what I loved was the opportunity to really get to know characters, absorb the uncanny atmosphere in the bones of the house and throw myself into the action as darkness fell and things grew stranger.
Katy Naylor, Voidspace
This is what free-roaming immersive theatre should be. A long, carefully crafted, deep-worlded performance that is impressively easy to slip into. The piece is scaffolded by precise, complex, and apparently adaptive dramaturgy that keeps the experience manageable despite the often overwhelming amount of content and the difficulty of portraying Lovecraftian elements in live performance. The actors, though, are the centerpiece of this production. The impressively durational and flexible performances by actors who clearly care deeply about their characters and their relationships with the audience make this show special, and they will stick with us for a long time.
Jack Aldisert and Dominika Uçar, Directors, Deadweight Theatre
Viola's Room
By Punchdrunk
May - December 2024 at One Cartridge Place
I know it's a cop-out choosing the biggest immersive company (and I think it probably is more of an indication of how little, in my limited opinion, shows came out this year) but I just loved the bit when there was a miniature city with mini moving lights. It was a stand-out moment for me this year when I literally couldn't help but shout - 'wow'. It was a special moment and showed you don't need big epic sets to make an impact (even though that moment probably cost more than an entire fringe show...)
Bertie Watkins, Founder/Director, COLAB Theatre
The lighting, sound, and set design were all stunning! This show was a wonderful reminder that you can create theatre and art just by creating an environment that feels truthful and grounded. Having no shoes brought me into the experience even more - it was a sensory masterpiece.
Serena Lehman, Actor (The Manikins: a work in progress)
The whole show felt like you were stepping into another world, the story, the soundtrack, the sensory element, everything was just perfect.
Puck, Magician and Actor (Rhythm&Ruse)
Phantom peak
March - December 2024 in Canada Water
Photo: Alistair Veryard
Consistently the best immersive show in London with continuous bursts of invention and ideas throughout the year.
Franco Milazzo, Critic, BroadwayWorld UK
Phantom Peak is incredible! An open-world video game mixed with immersive theatre, the perfect recipe for a fun time. Each time I’ve been has been so fun and different, and the characters you meet and learn stories from are all a delight.
Puck, Magician and Actor (Rhythm&Ruse)
Horizon of Khufu
By Excurio
October 2023 - December 2024 at Westfield Stratford
Photo: Excurio
There's a long list of new shows I haven't yet made it to this year yet, but this free-roaming VR experience I did in New York (also in London) left an impression. It takes you on a dreamlike journey into an Egyptian tomb late at night, blending digital historical recreation with interactive storytelling. Simple in design and narrative, but expansive in a way I’ve rarely seen in location-based VR. By the end, you feel like you’ve truly walked/travelled on a real expedition, rather than just crossing a room or two, heightening immersion. And it oozes atmosphere—exactly how my inner child (and adult self) dreams of experiencing and understanding history.
Jack Pirie, Director/Creative Director, Elvis Evolution, The War of the Worlds Immersive, Jetpack Odyssey
The Great Murder Mystery
March - September 2024 in West Kensington
An incredible retelling of a much loved story, The Hound of the Baskervilles in a theatre dining experience that is best-in-class. The food was an experience in itself and blew my socks off. Honestly, every dish I was excited about before it even arrived at the table. The theatre is brilliantly written, directed & performed. Tom Shannon’s set design is first class and kept the surprises coming. Really was the best night at the theatre I had this year.
Neil Connolly, Creative Director, Immersive Everywhere
Fight Night
October 2024 at Watford Palace Theatre
Photo: Ontoerend Goes
Exposing the flaws and hypocrisies of the democratic process through an audience-driven voting-based competition. While political statements were kept out of the picture, OG nevertheless exposed the flaws at the heart of the process that provided an unsettling lesson in the madness of crowds and what it means to 'take back control'
Katy Naylor, Voidspace
La Bohème
November - December 2024 at Safehouse 1, Peckham
Photo: Bread and Bus Stop
The immersive elements landed the story successfully even for audiences that normally don't connect with opera. Temperature, dynamic movement, spatial elements, and proximity with the performers all brought the audience into the story and created connections with the characters that were more intimate than in typical operatic performance practice.
Hannah Gintberg-Dees, Director, Deadweight Theatre
This Time (Travel) Will Be Different
By Chloe Mashiter
June 2024 at Theatre Deli
Photo: James Lawson
This was an enchanting hour of lo-fi high-concept interactive theatre. One performer (also the creator, the immensely talented Chloe Mashiter) ably led a tightly-packed room through a clever exploration of the logic of timeloops, with lots of time travel jokes (better ones than the clichés you may be tired of by now!). I came away with warm feelings and buzzy thoughts about time travel, and the emotional connections we make in the real world where we (usually) only get to do things once.
Tom Black, Co-founder, Bridge Command and Jury Games
Where We Meet
June 2024 at Theatre Deli
Photo: Romain Tissot
Using headphones, which allows performers to curate the soundtrack that they send to their free-roaming audience, Where We Meet allows us to understand the inner thoughts and be truly close to the characters.
Katy Naylor, Voidspace
Unfurl
By Bubble Club
Photo: Bubble Club
Unfurl takes place in Room 2 of Bubble Club, an accessible club night in East London. Hosted by Tilley, Del and Isaac, it mixes art installation, Puffing and Wooling, improv, interactive performance, and open mic. It's immersive, interactive, and utterly unique - consistently the most joyous experience in London.
Nathan Ess, Muddled Marauders
A Quest For Rest
By Ariella Stoian & Mushmoss Collective
June 2024 at Theatre Deli
Part-game, part-exhibit, part-theatre (my descriptors, not the creators), this was a lovingly-crafted and detailed exploration of energy management and chronic fatigue. It's the most effective example that I have yet encountered of the form of interactive theatre being used to explain concepts that are difficult to comprehend simply through reading or listening. It did all this while remaining charmingly light in tone, and gave me that feeling that immersive work is uniquely-placed to provide: empathy.
Tom Black, Co-founder, Bridge Command and Jury Games
Uwolnienie
By Zenon Fajfer and Kuba Kowalski
Numerous dates throughout 2024 at Wrocławski Teatr Współczesny, Wrocław, Poland
Photo: Filip Wierzbicki
This was an immersive performance inside a proscenium theatre that turned the proscenium space into an immersive, non-traditional performance environment in a clever post-modern deconstruction of the theatre. A boundary-pushing, political challenge to the audience that never lost its sense of humour and delight. I'd never seen anything quite like it before.
Dominika Uçar, Director, Deadweight Theatre
A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to contribute to this article. For coverage of all the latest immersive experiences coming to London in 2025, follow us on Instagram, X and BlueSky.
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