Immersive Theater Growth

• The number of immersive theater shows has grown over 120% from 2011 to 2018 in Los Angeles.
• However, immersive theater's growth in other areas such as New York were not as high.
• Statistics show that immersive show companies are only producing an average of only 2 shows per year.
•  18 immersive theater companies announced their shutdown in 2018 alone.
• This mirrors the national average of 20% of small businesses in general failing in their first year.
•  The Guardian reports that major immersive theater providers such as Punchdrunk and Hook & Hartshorn anticipate 'explosive growth' in 2020 alone.

Reasons for Growth

•  EventBrite noted in 2016 that "Google searches for “immersive theater” have spiked in the past couple months, as new shows have been produced in more and more cities."
• According to the ticket provider, there are 5 major reasons why immersive theater is growing as a segment within the live ticketed entertainment category.
• First, audiences want to escape through an offline experience.
• Second, audiences enjoy interaction with new people including performers, speakers, and other guests.
• Third, audiences crave stimulation of their imagination through the storytelling experience.
• Fourth, immersive theaters offer an opportunity to explore non-traditional venues such as public parks, abandoned warehouses, basements or formerly inaccessible buildings.
• Fifth, audiences today are looking for stimulation and excitement beyond a passive perspective.

Audience Interest

• The Stage Awards reported that Guild of Misrule immersive theater company noted that 40% of its audiences were new viewers/participants.
• According to Google Analytics, interest in immersive theater grew steadily from 2011 to 2018.
• The article reported that user search interest in immersive theater peaked in 2017.