Learn How to ‘Jam’ with Educational Mobile Immersive Theatre (Q&A)
An interview about the company’s upcoming Immersive Jam in NYC
EMIT, or Educational Mobile Immersive Theatre, is a not-for-profit organization that makes Shakespeare’s plays more accessible to kids and teens by bringing works like Hamlet, The Tempest, and Romeo & Juliet to life through immersive theatre. EMIT argues that students are better able to connect with the source material when they can experience it firsthand in an immersive way. The company’s work is adaptable to different kinds of spaces and is available for school field trips as well as in-school performances; EMIT also has a strong emphasis on creating ADA accessible, sensory-friendly environments.
This time around, EMIT is holding their very first Immersive Jam, and inviting the public to both participate in devising a new immersive work in two hours and to come view the results of the session.
We spoke to co-founder and artistic director of EMIT, Gianna Coffi, over email to learn more about the upcoming event.
No Proscenium (NP): Can you tell us a little about yourself and your role at Educational Mobile Immersive Theatre (EMIT)?
Gianna Coffi (GC): I am the co-founder and artistic director of EMIT. Currently, I direct all of our mainstage performances. As a creator, I’m passionate about exploring how experiential theatre can be used as educational tool for learners of all kinds.
NP: What, in a nutshell, is EMIT?
GC: EMIT is Educational Mobile Immersive Theatre. EMIT is an immersive theatre company committed to creating theatrical experiences in which learners of all ages and abilities have the freedom to explore stories through direct interactions. Our aim is to increase comprehension and engagement of narratives through specific, scaffolded experiences, which enable and empower all learners to engage in their own way, at their own pace. We believe that theatre should be accessible to anyone and everyone, and we prioritize creating ADA accessible environments, as well as environments friendly to those with sensory needs.
NP: What is the Immersive Jam about? How is the Jam going to work?
GC: Immersive Jam is a place for folks to come and play! It doesn’t matter whether you are a novice to immersive theatre or you are a seasoned veteran. Immersive Jam is part workshop and part community event. The first part will give participants just under 2 hours to devise a short immersive piece based on a specific theme. Through the use of EMIT’s specialized immersive checklists and strategic checklists, participants will be guided through the devising process, creating immersive scenes with both the entire ensemble and in small groups. For this jam session, the central question we will be devising around is “What does it mean to persevere?” The second part will consist of sharing what the group has created followed by wine and mingling!
NP: What inspired you to hold an Immersive Jam?
GC: We were craving a way to strengthen our ties to other immersive theatre artists as well as expand our community.
NP: Do you need to have theatre experience to participate?
GC: Absolutely not! The event is scaffolded to model immersive theatre making before we ask participants to freely create on their own.
NP: How are you designing around agency, consent, and safety?
GC: Although this a participant-driven event, as the facilitator in the room, I will be giving the guidelines to keep contact with each other to familial and with the audience as acquaintance.The audience will have agency to explore the different pieces created as they are performed simultaneously. Audience members will always be allowed to remove themselves from an experience, and the door in our space is unlocked. EMIT staff will be available should anyone need assistance during any portion of the event.
NP: Who is the ideal participant for this experience?
GC: Theatre artists who are interested in exploring the creation of immersive theatre! We wish to strengthen our ties to artists we know and build community with those we don’t know! All experience levels are welcome, whether it is your first time or you have been working in immersive theatre for decades.
NP: What do you hope participants take away from the experience?
GC: We hope people will make connections, try something new, and feel artistically recharged.
EMIT’s Immersive Jam will take place February 22nd in Long Island City. Tickets are $10–15.
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