Theater

Theater as Experience

London Company brings unique presentation to Boston

Nov 25, 2009

Theater as Experience

 

| | More

London theater company Punchdrunk has made its North American premiere at the American Repertory Theater with the wildly inventive Sleep No More. Punchdrunk has been creating effusive theatrical experiences for British audiences for years and has become famous for its attention to detail and audience immersion has created a genuinely unique experience. Punchdrunk takes over entire spaces, (warehouses, theaters) and turns them into theatrical experiences that blur the line between theater and theatergoer, observer and performer. Not only a play, Punchdrunk’s experiences become entire worlds, ripe for participation.

Sleep No More is a presentation of Macbeth, in the context of Hitchcockian mysteries. The combination—theatrical classic and cinematic suspense—are right up Punchdrunk’s alley, as they create experiences so magical and detailed that audience members can’t help but feel like they’ve stepped into the story. The piece is a sensory explosion, sexy, stylized and subversive, and captures the intrigue of Shakespeare’s classic through an apt and unique lens.

The play itself is fresh and original, well worth the price of admission, but the special theatrical experience is once in a lifetime. Punchdrunk presents a brand of theater unlike anything experienced stateside, and the opportunity to observe—and participate—is one that should not be turned down. Sleep No More runs through January 3, 2010 and is presented at The Old Lincoln School, Brookline Village, Brookline. Tickets may be purchased online at www.americanrepertorytheater.org. Sleep No More is not recommended for those 16 and under, as it contains some nudity.