Immersiveness in Theater Perfomances: Psychoanalytic View

The purpose of this paper is to explore immersive theatre in the context of psychoanalytic theory, and to prove that immersive theatre is a unique transitional space in which participants are given the opportunity for safe interaction with characters on whom personal individual experience is projected. This theoretical analysis explored: the phenomenon of theatre in popular culture and psychoanalysis, the origins of its transition from traditional to immersive theatre, the role of theatre in psychoanalysis, and the transition from traditional theatre to psychodrama and playback theatre. The art of theatre originated in ancient Greece. The first theatre productions resembled tragedy in genre, comedies appeared a little later. At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries and to the present day, a rapid transformation of theatre began - from classical to immersive theatre, which, as a phenomenon originated in the 21st century. Thanks to the introduction of immersive theatre, the audience has the opportunity to immerse themselves in a space where there are no boundaries between fiction and reality. The most influential analysts, including Freud, used theatre terminology in their concepts. Their definitions of the primary stage, the other stage, the theatrical curtain, and the inner theatre of the leader's personality are clear evidence that psychoanalytic theory is based on a theatrical vocabulary. A.V. Rossokhin considers the inner theatre, enriching it with the concept of interperience. The spectator's participation is indispensable and from this he becomes at the same time an actor influencing the course of events. On the actor's art depends the dynamic between his real presence, necessary to obtain projective identifications, and his portrayal of the character through his own interpretation. A psychoanalytic study consisting of interviews of participants in immersive productions, namely the director, actors and audience members allowed us to gain an in-depth understanding of the participants' experiences and to interpret the psychological processes that occur during immersive performances between actors and audience members. Based on the results of this research, it can be argued that immersive productions promote reflection and insight because of the close interaction with other participants.