Sleep No More, an immersive performance based on Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, invites audiences to freely explore an entire building as part of the story. (Photo courtesy of Miss Jackson)
SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — At a Lotte Cinema theater in Seoul, the lights cut out, sirens blare, and a chilling announcement fills the room: “This theater is now closed. This is not a drill.” Suddenly, audience members are thrust into a survival game, dodging zombies that stalk the aisles. This is Charlotte: The Play – Survival, a live interactive thriller that turns a movie theater into the set of an apocalyptic drama.
Immersive theater—where audiences participate as characters rather than passive observers—is fast emerging as one of South Korea’s most sought-after cultural experiences. From zombie survival games to reimagined classics and musicals staged throughout entire buildings, productions are offering the physical immediacy digital entertainment cannot match.
In Seoul’s Gangdong district, the Gangdong Arts Center will stage Dorothy of the Theater from November 6 to 9, an immersive musical that adapts The Wizard of Oz into a guided adventure through the theater itself. Audience members solve puzzles, follow the heroine Dorothy through hidden spaces, and interact with stage technicians playing themselves—lighting directors, sound engineers, and stage managers.
Immersive thriller performance Charlotte: The Play (Photo courtesy of Lotte Cultureworks)
At the Naruart Center in Gwangjin, the play Moby Dick: Memory of Two Eyes will invite audiences to join the doomed voyage of the Pequod as its crew. With panoramic sea projections and sound design from a newly renovated theater, participants become sailors navigating the storm.
Lotte Cultureworks’ zombie thriller at its Sindorim cinema has already sold out most November dates, drawing audiences eager for the adrenaline of real-time scares.
The format has proven commercially viable. Sleep No More—a wordless adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth that takes place across multiple floors of a hotel-like set—has become one of Seoul’s top-grossing musicals since opening in July at the former Daehan Theater. The Korean run follows successful versions in New York and Shanghai and plans to extend ticket sales into December with no fixed closing date.
The image shows a scene from the immersive play Moby Dick – Memory of Two Eyes. (Photo courtesy of Gwangjin Cultural Foundation)
According to the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System, Sleep No More ranked among the top ten musicals in ticket sales nationwide in the third quarter of 2025.
Industry analysts say the genre’s appeal lies in giving audiences a sense of agency and physical immersion increasingly absent from digital life. “People today crave experiences they can feel and move through,” said a Gangdong Arts Foundation official. “Immersive theater offers that tactile engagement—a way to connect the body and imagination.”
Still, experts warn that financial challenges remain. Because immersive productions often require elaborate sets and smaller audience groups, profitability can be elusive. “You need more space, more staff, and more design for fewer seats,” said theater critic Park Byung-sung. “But the emotional payoff and creative potential are undeniable. Once production costs come down, immersive theater could become a mainstay of the performing arts scene.”
When the Audience Becomes the Actor: Interactive Performances Captivate Seoul (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
For now, the trend suggests that in an era dominated by screens, audiences are increasingly willing to trade comfort for participation—to step inside the story, rather than merely watch it unfold.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
