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Immersion, ‘smooth’ spaces and critical voyeurism in the work of Punchdrunk

This article elaborates on the immersive theatre of the London-based collective Punchdrunk. Drawing on the author’s empirical work with the group, it considers the spatial conditions and the masked audience experience in Punchdrunk’s works as constitutive of a performance practice that challenges conventional modes of theatrical representation. In doing so, the article provides a new reading of the group’s promenade performances, articulating critical responses to the limits of interactive theatre while underlining the nomadic and voyeuristic possibilities of Punchdrunk’s immersive spectating. Following a Deleuzian line of thought, it aims to expand our understanding of immersive theatre, suggesting a rethinking of the engaging potential that fragmentary and incomplete experiences create in performances.