Be 'part of it all' at new theatre's sensory show

Adam Lawrence has been working in theatres since the age of 11

A new black box theatre that hopes to attract people who feel like shows are not for them has opened.

The House of Lawrence, based in Stoke-on-Trent, aims to use a combination of special effects and up-close performances in an enclosed space to make the audience feel they are a part of the show.

The idea came from Adam Lawrence, who spent many years working in various theatres and grew tired with seeing similar production formats.

He said: "It gets a bit repetitive after so many years of doing the same thing, there are some fantastic companies out there, but the productions are always the same."

The use of special effects is key to making the shows feel different.

As well as pyrotechnics and smoke, the House of Lawrence will pump various smells into the 150-capacity room.

Adam said: "It's an extra layer to have those smells, pictures, images all the senses going off and it all forms part of a fantastic memory of that production".

The aim the team are trying to achieve in all of this is to show people who feel like theatre isn't for them that it can be, by using the effects.

When asked about this he said: "It's proven to be quite successful because people [coming to watch] have been telling us they've never been to theatre before, and [now] they will be there for the next show."

The space can be completely reconfigured to suit the production

The theatre aims to get the audience felling like they are on stage during its current performance of Dracula.

James Lawrence, the choreographer, said: "It's very intimate and immersive, it's getting the audience involved in some of the dances.

"In the market scene they [the actors] pass baskets on to the audience and throughout the pre-show they are selling things to the audience.

"There is lots of different things that you wouldn't typically see in black box theatre," he added.