Live Arts Miami and Juggerknot Theatre Company presents:

LABS: The Art of Immersive Theater

  • January 27 – 28 led by Ana Margineanu
  • February 10 – 11 led by Jennine Willett 
  • March 16 – 17 led by Octavio Campos

Pricing Options

  • Individual Session: $65 for each weekend session
  • Full series:  $180 bundle for 3 weekends


REGISTER

A limited number of scholarships are available for MDC & NWSA Students. Please email liveartsmiami@mdc.edu with a statement of need at least 2 weeks prior to each session to apply.

Direct registration  link: https://www.squadup.com/events/art-of-immersive-theater

Address:

The Koubek Center

2705 SW 3rd St. Miami, Fl.

Content here

Immersive experiences have taken center stage in recent years, whether as theater installations, labyrinths, performance journeys, or virtual spaces to name a few. But what does it mean for an event to be truly immersive, and what does it take to create one?

Live Arts Miami and Juggerknot Theatre invite theater makers, actors, dancers, artists, and curious minds to explore the ethos and creation of immersive experiences in an exciting workshop series led by three experts in the field. Discover the art of creating site-specific theater in unconventional spaces over the course of three weekends January through March, and unlock the transformative potential of creating immersive events designed for a diverse group of participants.

Whether you’re seasoned in the world of immersive theater or a newcomer eager to challenge the constraints of conventional performance experiences, join us in this exploration of possibilities to create something meaningful for you and for those you are gathering!

The Art of Immersive Theater is part of Live Arts Miami LABS, a series of professional development opportunities designed to fuel and celebrate Miami’s artist ecosystem.  LABS provide both established and emerging artists can discover opportunities to refine skills, develop creative practice, and push artistic boundaries, while fostering meaningful collaborations. Grow, explore and create with LAM LABS.

Course Materials

There are no required materials. Just bring a pen and paper, and please pack a lunch.

Mobile Workshop

The workshop will take place in various areas of the Koubek Center, including the Art Space studio, the gardens and mansion.  Please wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to move throughout the day.  For those who require ADA assistance, please contact liveartsmiami@mdc.edu

 
Session 1: January 27 – 28, 10:00AM – 4:00PM

Creating Immersive and Site-specific Theatre

led by Ana Margineanu

To kickstart the series, acclaimed immersive theater director Ana Margineanu, Director of  Miami Motel Stories North Beach and The Blues Opera, will walk us through the elements of immersive gatherings and the art of creating site-specific theater. Drawing inspiration and practical points from past notable immersive events, Ana will delve into the details of creating such gatherings—focusing on the relationship between the creator and the space in which they are inspired to create something; examining how to observe, listen, and engage with unconventional spaces and their communities.  Over the course of the weekend, Ana will offer exercises geared to help participants create performances that are specific to environments and generate new material inspired by them.

Ana MargineanuAna Margineanu is a theatre director who works both nationally and internationally. Called “one of the reigning queens of New York’s highly intimate, one-shot-only, conceptual-based theater” by the NYC critic Randy Gener, Ana is known for close cooperation with the local communities who are audiences for her work, highly metaphoric visual style, and ability to draw visceral performances from her actors.

She graduated from The National University of Theatre and Film of Bucharest, Romania.  Ana Margineanu is co-founder of PopUP Theatrics, a partnership creating immersive theatrical events around the world and in collaboration with international theatre artists.  She is a past resident of Women’s Project Theater, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center and an alumnus of The Lincoln Center Directors Lab. Ana Margineanu’s work has been presented and/or developed at the 3LD Art & Technology Center, Working Theater, Urban Stages, NYTW, The Lark, Ensemble Studio Theater, The Secret Theatre and in numerous theaters and festivals in Europe, most notably: New Plays from Europe Wiesbaden, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, National Theatre Festival Bucharest, Sibiu International Theatre Festival. She has worked locally with Juggerknot Theatre Company directing Miami Motel Stories “North Beach” and most recently The Blues Opera. She has also directed, taught and facilitated workshops at Colleges and Universities like: The New School, SUNY,  Pace University, Wesleyan University, Queens College, National Theatre and Film University of Bucharest. For more visit: www.anamargineanu.com

Session 2: February 10-11, 10:00AM – 3:00PM

Engaging the Senses: Developing Multi-Sensory Content for Immersive Performances

led by Jennine Willett of Third Rail Projects

When the audience and performers share space in an immersive format, infinite ways of engaging the senses unfold. Over the course of two days, Jennine Willett will guide participants through a creative process of exploring an immersive concept and looking for ways to utilize the senses to enhance, layer, and deepen the experience. Through gameplay and discussion on the first day, participants will tune into their own sensory awareness and practice defining and articulating their own experiences to one another. Then, using a collaborative brainstorming process, the group will organize ideas to make a springboard for creating content. On the second day, participants will work collaboratively in small groups to create multi-sensory scenes for each other. Each scene sketch will become a learning tool, sparking an inspiring creative exchange between all participants in the class. Jennine cultivates positive learning environments that value collaboration, play, discourse, and the freedom to experiment. Welcome to creatives of all backgrounds.

Jennine WillettJennine Willett is a multidisciplinary artist and founding partner of Third Rail Projects, a dance theater company known for re-envisioning how audiences engage with contemporary performance. Her work takes shape in many forms, including site-specific performances that reframe and transform public spaces and large-scale immersive experiences. Her most recent co-creation titled Port of Entry, created in collaboration with Chicago’s acclaimed youth ensemble Albany Park Theater Project, is currently in an open run in Chicago. Other prominent co-creations include the long-running hit Then She Fell, named one of the “Top Ten Shows of 2012” by the New York Times, The Grand Paradise, Ghost Light presented by Lincoln Center Theater, and Learning Curve, also a collaboration with Albany Park Theatre Project. Jennine has been honored with a Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance for Then She Fell, a Chita Rivera Award for Best Choreography in an Off-Broadway Play for Ghost Light, and was named one of the 100 most influential people in Brooklyn Culture by Brooklyn Magazine. She was part of the creative team for the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning virtual reality film Wolves int he Walls, by Fable Studio, based on the popular Neil Gaiman book Ghost Light, 2017.

Session 3: March 16-17, 10:00AM – 4:00PM:

The Power of Audience Transitions in Immersive Theatre

led by Octavio Campos

Longtime Miami theater maker and choreographer, Octavio Campos, returns to South Florida to lead a dynamic workshop that steps into the realm of immersive theater and presents an exciting opportunity for creative minds to truly harness the potential of this medium.  In order to do so, Campos believes one must master the art of manipulating time, space, and energy – not just to advance the narrative – but also to deeply engage the audience, turning them into co-conspirators of the experience.

In immersive theater, the power of a seamless transition is what distinguishes a mere shift from one scene to another from a profound and cathartic choice to fully immerse in the unfolding narrative. The session’s goal is to break free from the conventional “cattle-like” herding of the audience and instead empower the composition while inspiring the audience to take an active role with genuine agency in the experience.

Octavio CamposOctavio Campos, a multifaceted creative instigator, choreographer, LGBTQIA activist, addiction specialist, and healthcare provider, is celebrated for his groundbreaking contributions to movement, expression, performance, community engagement, food insecurity, and mental health. He began his professional journey at SUNY Purchase and further honed his skills as a soloist in the German state theater system, collaborating with influential mentors such as Birgitta Trommler, Bob Wilson, Philip Glass, Yoshiko Waki, Vivienne Newport, and Pina Bausch. In recent years, his healthcare career has thrived in Chicago, working with Loyola University, Rosecrance,  Recovery Dharma Chicago, Chicago Recovery Alliance, and Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center and Free Food Pantry.

Octavio is also a devoted advocate for the arts and has offered his expertise to esteemed organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Miami Dade Cultural Affairs Council, Knight Foundation, Illinois Arts Council, and Macdowell Colony. His work has graced venues in Miami, including the Arsht Center, Miami Theater Center, Miami Light Project, New World Symphony, and Art Basel.

With over 40 years of experience, Octavio has curated performances, produced for commercial platforms, initiated community health interventions, and activated subversive nightlife scenes. He has orchestrated flash mobs, conducted social experiments, staged site-specific performances, and led workshops worldwide, all while consistently mentoring and nurturing emerging artists. His current collaborations include projects with Pioneer Winter Collective’s DJ APOLLO, Natasha Tsakos’ CARABOOM!, and Juggerknot Theater company’s MIAMI MOTEL STORIES.

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