FIRST-EVER LIVE RESEARCH STUDY TAKES PLACE INSIDE HIT IMMERSIVE SHOW

Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience, a multi-award-winning theatrical spectacle, is set to break new ground, not just in entertainment but also in scientific research.

For the first time, a major immersive theatre production will function as a live research environment, offering audiences a unique opportunity to participate in a pioneering study on how people engage with immersive performances.

Led by Dr. Agnieszka Wlazel, an audience engagement researcher and Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London, the study is backed by The British Academy and conducted in partnership with Octodata and Layered Reality™.

A Landmark Study for the Arts

Research remains limited despite growing interdisciplinary interest in how audiences experience stories and digital art. Previous studies have often focused on artistic theory rather than real-time audience data, relying on assumptions instead of systematic analysis.

Dr. Wlazel’s research, published in MIT Presence, emphasised the need for empirical studies into how immersive performances shape audience engagement. This new study represents a significant step forward, collecting data on emotional responses, memory retention, and physiological reactions via wearable sensors, providing the first comparative insights into immersive audience engagement in a commercial immersive theatre setting.

“We’re breaking new ground,” says Dr. Wlazel. “This study will provide real-time data on audience engagement of different generations of audiences, allowing us to understand how immersive storytelling influences their emotions, cognition, and physiological responses. It could fundamentally reshape how we create and evaluate artistic experiences.”

A New Frontier for Immersive Entertainment

Andrew McGuinness, CEO of Layered Reality, hailed the research as a milestone for the future of live experiences:
“At Layered Reality, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of storytelling and audience immersion. This study is a game-changer; it’s the first time we’ll have hard data on how people emotionally and physically respond to immersive experiences. The insights we gain could help shape the next generation of interactive entertainment.”

How Audiences Can Participate
From 24 May to 1 June 2025, Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience will open its doors to research participants at 56 Leadenhall Street, London.
Participants will wear a discreet wrist sensor to track physical responses.
Short pre- and post-show surveys will provide further insights.
All data is fully anonymised, and participation is voluntary.
Deadline to register: 9 May 2025.
Register Now – Limited Places Available
Members of the public interested in participating in this historic collaboration between science and the arts can register now: https://tally.so/r/wQjZrY