The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable was an immersive theatre performance created by Punchdrunk and co-produced by National Theatre, staged in London, where it ran from June 2013 into 2014. The show was a major success, playing more than 340 performances. It allowed audiences to step into the world of Temple Studios, a four-floor building and crumbling monument to the golden age of film that seduced dreamers with the promise of wealth and fame. Parallel to the studios was the bleak desert on the studio’s outskirts, filled with trailer parks, and barren landscapes where the hunger for fame created violence and desperation. There, masked audience members delved into three hours of dramatic events by exploring 133 rooms and following cast members as they guided them through the unfolding of the story. The production was inspired by Woyzeck by Georg Buchner, relocated to a Hollywood where dreamers fought for survival and glamorous illusions dissolved into tragedy.
This is a collection of taxonomy terms that allow a type of immersive or XR performance to be categorised.