What happens when the audience steps into the story?
Theatre is often something we watch from a seat. But for Edmonton playwright Louise Casemore, it can also be something we experience from the inside.
Her immersive theatre project, Other Duties as Required, explores the modern workplace and the job interview process through audience participation. Instead of observing from a distance, audiences enter an imagined office setting and experience the hiring process as it unfolds.
The project is being developed through the Write Here Immersive Theatre Creation Program, run by Thou Art Here Theatre and supported by a Community Grant from ECF. Selected from 25 applicants, Casemore will spend the next two years refining the project, working with the theatre company, actors, and a dramaturge to bring the concept to life.
In this episode, Justin Bell from Odvod Media sits down with Andrew Ritchie, Artistic Director of Thou Art Here Theatre, and playwright Louise Casemore to talk about immersive theatre, Edmonton storytelling, and what it takes to move a project from idea to live performance.
Show Notes:
Our guests today were Andrew Ritchie, Artistic Director of Thou Art Here Theatre, and Louise Casemore, playwright and creator of Other Duties as Required.
Read Justin Bell’s companion story in the Winter 2025 edition of Thrive Magazine.
