Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Environmental theatre often seeks to engage audiences through embodied and multisensory encounters. In dark performance environments, where visual cues are limited, artists and scenographers face the challenge of conveying narrative information and emotional states through touch. To address this issue, this study discusses the design of interactive props incorporating haptic feedback mechanisms, including vibrotactile and thermal actuaturs, intended to evoke feelings of unease and panic among audience members. Participants interacted with these props sequentially, and their responses were collected through questionnaires. The results indicate that haptic feedback significantly enhanced immersion, information transmission, and emotional responses, particularly in eliciting feelings of unease and fear. We discuss these findings in relation to the reconceptualisation of haptic feedback as a primary narrative medium in environmental theatre, the articulation of a spatial – tactile interaction paradigm through which props, space, and haptic feedback co construct meaning, and the extension of performance theory by demonstrating that immersive emotional experience is driven predominantly by peak sensory events rather than sustained interaction.
Authors: Zhining Jiang, Diana Alina Serbanescu
Institutions: University of the Arts London, Zurich University of the Arts
Language: English
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7203884378