#1 Rebellious acting, Wonka marketing, and 'Wolverine' on broadway -Scott Cramton

05/23/19 • 48 min

Scott Cramton is the founder of American Immersion Theater with over 1,000 immersive shows under his belt. Over the course of 15 years Scott has developed and refined socially immersive experiences.

Scott was born with a cleft palate and -naturally- chose to act professionally. Often, one’s greatest weakness has potential to become their greatest strength. Scott’s path led him to creating an audacious and counterintuitive way of encouraging others to communicate and connect through acting.

Scott’s -and American Immersion Theater’s- staple is the LARP-esque murder mystery dinner. Though, they also perform princess parties, superhero parties, feigned fame stunts, and a myriad of other events that defy a consistent label referred to as atmospheric entertainment.
Make it Immersive:
Willy Wonka [32:35]

Selected links from episode:

Show Notes:

About Scott & what he does [1:35]
How many shows? [3:46]
Murder Mystery tour through Europe & Middle East [5:03]
Actors training, social immersion, and rethinking princess parties [7:07]
Scott’s fictional word + Wonka marketing, quaker oats [12:40]
What drew Scott to Immersion and his “Spite-Bulb” moment [15:28]
Being decimated and catching up on acting skills [20:25]
Creative impetus behind creating immersive spaces + screwing with actors, inception of MMC [22:50]
“Wolverine” on stage, Boy from oz & the turning point, It should all be interactive [25:58]
How to fake it on broadway, Immersive experience idea [29:19]
Make it Immersive: Willy Wonka [32:35]
Willy Wonka fan theories [37:18]
Asking Mike TV about the fan theories [39:03]
Brief nuts and bolts thoughts on selecting immersive worlds [41:15]
Scott’s podcast & where can you find him [44:44]

Selected links from episode:

Show Notes:

About Scott & what he does [1:35]
How many shows? [3:46]
Murder Mystery tour through Europe & Middle East [5:03]
Actors training, social immersion, and rethinking princess parties [7:07]
Scott’s fictional word + Wonka marketing, quaker oats [12:40]
What drew Scott to Immersion and his “Spite-Bulb” moment [15:28]
Being decimated and catching up on acting skills [20:25]
Creative impetus behind creating immersive spaces + screwing with actors, inception of MMC [22:50]
“Wolverine” on stage, Boy from oz & the turning point, It should all be interactive [25:58]
How to fake it on broadway, Immersive experience idea [29:19]
Make it Immersive: Willy Wonka [32:35]
Willy Wonka fan theories [37:18]
Asking Mike TV about the fan theories [39:03]
Brief nuts and bolts thoughts on selecting immersive worlds [41:15]
Scott’s podcast & where can you find him [44:44]

Next Episode

#2 VR baptism, improv endings, and the state of play -Ian Mckneely & Austen Anderson

Ian McNeely & Austen Anderson are the shakespearean trained, co-founders of Broken Ghost immersives. Deploying a seemingly infinite supply of creativity, they create experiences that cater to any type of player. They have created The Bunker, and Rogue’s Gallery, and formerly the wake.

Multi-layered doesn’t begin to cover the degree of engagement that Ian and Austen create in their shmorgishborg of immersive optionality. Their love of game format pairs particularly well with their acting skills. The product of this is a format of immersion that has exists at the rare intersection between personalized narrative and environment interaction.
Make it immersive:
Farscape & Star Trek [21:25]

Selected links from episode:

Show Notes:

What fictional world [1:40]
Path to immersion [3:40]
Creativity Remote performer [6:00]
State of Escape Room industry in NY [8:08]
To speak or not to speak in immersive experience [9:30]
Text, IM, and emotional discourse in immersive experiences [11:17]
VR baptism, dynamic proximity, and social spaces [13:58]
Over-communication vs decisiveness in groups [19:06]
Make it immersive: Farscape & Star Trek [21:25]
Social experiments as immersive games [26:48]
Rapid Fire questions [29:09]
- Exciting potential immersive experiences [29:35]
- Getting folks engaged & on boarding [32:00]
- Impact of immersive theater on traditional theater [35:05]
- What do people take away from immersive experiences? [40:17]
Where can you find broken Ghost [43:14]

Immersion Nation Podcast - #1 Rebellious acting, Wonka marketing, and 'Wolverine' on broadway -Scott Cramton

Transcript

spk_0: 0:00
and because we build all these psychological techniques of figuring out who is somebody that will play the game but not control the game
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today, I'm speaking with Scott Crampton, the founder of American Immersion Theater. Last 15 years, Scott is refined the art form of social immersion and helped to grow the broader world of immersive entertainment.
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Ridiculous amount of training that goes in