When I was in London for a semester I was lucky enough to take a class that bombarded us with live theatre. For 5 nights a week for 12 weeks we saw a show every. single. night. Some of these shows were amazing, some of these shows were Jerry Springer The Opera. One particular style of theatre that I had not experienced before and that left a lasting impression on me was what has now become known as Promenaded style theatre. In a promenade show, the experience is immersive. The action takes place all around a space and the audience moves with the action. A current example that goes to the extreme of this style is Punch Drunk's 'Sleep No More'- however Punch Drunk doesn't attempt linear narrative structure- the audience chooses their own adventure and most of the action is movement based as opposed to dialogue heavy.
 One evening in London we went to a warehouse on the banks of the Thames for a production of 'Macbeth'. Walking up to the steel structure that didn't at all resemble a theatre the atmosphere was foreboding. At the entrance were two black men, dressed in army fatigues. 'Cool' I thought. Actors from the show out to greet the audience in costume- how atmospheric. Then- 'thud'. A rifle butt hit me square in the chest knocking me back. 'Give me money!' he shouted. The other soldier grabbed me and shouted the same command. 'I don't have any money!" I pleaded. Disappointed they shoved me inside the space.
 Then the play began- set in a war torn African diaspora this was a Macbeth that was both invigorating and unfamiliar. This promenade style put the audience square in the action and it was honestly unrelenting. Actors pushed through the audience, banquet scenes had us holding wine and being startled by Banquo busting through the table. It was intense. But there was one scene that pushed the boundaries perhaps a bit too far- however- it also was the only time they gave that subtle 'wink' to the audience in the way of a reprieve. In the brutal scene in which Macduff's family is murdered they took Macduff's wife and baby to a side room and raped and murdered them. You could hear the screams and sounds of this horrific act which did in fact cause some people to head for the exits. It was brief but horrifying. After the scene a soldier came out and gave the audience (and this was the first time they addressed us as such) a choice of whether or not we wanted to go and see what they had done. Yikes. I opted out but many audience members filtered into the room and left looking shaken. So yeah- they gave us the wink- but barely. Crazy show.