The project led by Olivier Award-winning producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook and Butterfly Theatre are launching the first Immersive Acting School. The goal is to combine their expertise and experience in all aspects of immersive theatre with courses starting in January 2022 at West End Venue Immersive LND.

Three part time courses will run over a 6-week period starting on January 2022 :

• A Foundation Immersive Acting Course for non-professional actors
• A specialist Immersive Acting Course for Graduate level professional actors)
• An Intensive Immersive Acting Course for experienced immersive actors

The aim is to bring theatre actors into a different world of acting and for newcomers, to give them an opportunity to discover the immersive theatre acting, in a real, functioning west end immersive theatre venue.

For those interested, a free taster day will be held 2 – 4.30pm on Monday 13 December for prospective students – sign up here

The courses will be based on a new method of actor training called The Gonsalves Method, which is rooted Meisner Technique. It has been developed exclusively by Butterfly’s immersive professionals over the last 10 years. The project will be led by RSC Director and Artistic Director of Butterfly Theatre’s Aileen Gonsalves.

Here’s what she had to say about the project :

“Immersive Theatre is the new way of doing theatre and is more popular now than ever before. From Punchdrunk to The Great Gatsby, more and more companies are creating immersive productions and are constantly developing new ideas and better ways of immersing audiences into storytelling.

Immersive theatre comes with added risks that differ from conventional theatre, due to the increased proximity and interaction with the space and the audience. It requires skilled, brave, reliable and open minded actors. For this reason, immersive companies look for immersive experienced actors when casting their shows. This training will give you all the skills you need in order to be a great immersive actor, will enable you to build on skills you already possess and gain confidence to use them in this new fast-growing area of theatre.”

The program also gives access to :

• Becoming part of the Hartshorn – Hook and Butterfly Theatre communities
• Inclusion on our website graduate page for industry professionals seeking trained immersive actors.
• First invitations to audition for Hartshorn-Hook and Butterfly Theatre productions.
• Access to ongoing weekly Gonsalves Method drop in evening classes
• Discounts on food and drink in The Lucky Club
• Invites to Hartshorn-Hook and Butterfly open dress rehearsals.