Overview

Punchdrunk on the Classics: Experiencing Immersion in The Burnt City and Beyond draws attention to Punchdrunk’s use of ancient Greek literature in their creation of immersive theatre. The book documents and analyses the effects of utilising Greek tragedy within both Punchdrunk’s creative development windows, and the company’s final staged productions. It features material stretching from The House of Oedipus (2000) right through to The Burnt City (2022-23), on which the author worked as dramaturg. Chapters include rehearsal studies, explorations of how Greek literature can shape an audience’s experience in immersive theatre, and considerations of how The Burnt City might change our understanding of the poetics of immersion in antiquity. Overall, Punchdrunk on the Classics provides an unparalleled depth of insight into an individual Punchdrunk production, and highlights the until-now overlooked significance of antiquity within Punchdrunk’s practice. Winner of the 2024 Rob Jordan Prize for Theatre and Performance Studies. 

Full Product Details

9783031430695

Table of Contents

Reviews

“Emma Cole immerses her readers in the world of Punchdrunk, the contemporary theatre company known for its maximalist, site-specific approach to immersive theatre, through her autoethnographic analysis of rehearsals and performances of The Burnt City (2022-2024). … The book itself is designed primarily for digital perusal, with handy hyperlinks and striking photographic illustrations. … It is also a helpful reminder to a classicist reader that the book is … designed for a wide readership … .” (Emily Pillinger, Bryn Mawr Classical Review (BMCR), bmcr.brynmawr.edu, September 27, 2025)

Author Information

Emma Cole is Senior Lecturer in Drama at the University of Queensland, Australia; previously, she was Senior Lecturer in Liberal Arts and Classics at the University of Bristol. She is a classicist and a theatre historian and is an expert on Greek tragedy in contemporary theatre. Her previous book, Postdramatic Tragedies, was published in 2019.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available