The UK is widely regarded as a world leader when it comes to immersive live experiences and performances. Groups such as Punchdrunk, Immersive Everywhere, Little Lion, Secret Cinema, ZU-UK and Les Enfants Terribles have produced critically and commercially successful shows and experiences, helping to cement the UK’s global reputation. But the report shows that funding and finance in the live/location-based immersive experience space are still lacking.
Dr Bucknall continued: “While it is encouraging that companies and organisations are using profits from successful shows to keep creating, it is a real concern that new shows and experiences are overly dependent on individual creatives having deep enough pockets to invest their own money into projects. Funding and investment are often hard to access, especially for micro and small businesses and those just starting out in the industry.”
The report’s authors, Joanna Bucknall, (UoB) and Nicole Jacobus, (IEN), argue that for the live immersive experience sector to flourish in the UK urgent action is needed to get more people working in the space, and investment is desperately needed, not just in monetary terms but also in skills development and recognition, and talent recruitment.
Dr Bucknall concluded: “For those operating in the live immersive experience space, these findings may not be all that surprising, but what it does, is lay bare the lack of resilience in the sector. The UK is lauded for its arts and culture sector all over the world, and live immersive experience is a wide-ranging and rapidly expanding area. If we are to capitalize on all the brilliant opportunities and talent that this area of performance can provide, then strategic action needs to be taken, and quickly. The live immersive experience space is currently a house of cards in the arts industry, whereas it should form part of the concrete foundation for the sector.”
