Impact of New Media Technologies on Narrative and Audience Perception in Contemporary Drama
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v10i32.6728Keywords:
New Media Technology, Contemporary Theater, Narrative Structure, Audience PerceptionAbstract
This research investigates the impacts of contemporary drama and its narrative and audience breakdown with the advent of motion capture, virtual reality and interactive story technologies. With an emphasis on qualitative and quantitative analysis, the case studies and mixed methodology approaches to these technologies pointed out how they create both new possibilities and obstacles to traditional theatre performance. While these technologies amplify audience engagement, they must be integrated with caution due to their intricate technical, financial, and ethical implications. If achieved, the incorporation allows for participation and storytelling to be transformed within the digital era's narrative scope.
References
Aylett, R., Louchart, S., Dias, J., Paiva, A., & Vala, M. (2018). FearNot! – An experiment in emergent narrative. In Interactive Storytelling (pp. 121-132). Springer, Cham.
Broadhurst, S., & Machon, J. (2018). Identity, Performance and Technology: Practices of Empowerment, Embodiment, and Technicity. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Çankaya, M. (2023). Liveness Through Audience Participation in Digital Theatre: Map to Utopia As a Playground in Digital. Tiyatro Eleştirmenliği ve Dramaturji Bölümü Dergisi, (36), 91-105.
Couldry, N., & Hepp, A. (2017). The Mediated Construction of Reality. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research Methods in Applied Linguistics: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methodologies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fanouraki, C., & Zakopoulos, V. (2023). Interacting through Blogs in Theatre/Drama Education: A Greek Case Study. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2023(1).
Hepp, A., Couldry, N., Bolin, G., Velkova, J., & Brevini, B. (2024). CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON COMMUNICATIVE AI. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research.
Jiaming, X., Sikandar, S. A., Bo, X., & Rahman, Z. S. A. (2025). Impact of New Media Technologies on Narrative and Audience Perception in Contemporary Drama. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 10(32).
McNeal, M., Cole¹, R., Tanner¹, D., & Lane, D. (2024). Check for updates Cognitive Perspectives on Perceived Spatial Ability in STEM. In Spatial Cognition XIII: 13th International Conference, Spatial Cognition 2024, Dublin, Ireland, June 25–28, 2024, Proceedings (Vol. 14756, p. 66). Springer Nature.
Murray, S., & Keefe, J. (2016). Physical Theatres: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge.
Oranga, J. (2025). Mixed methods research: Application, advantages and challenges. Journal of Accounting Research, Utility Finance and Digital Assets, 3(4), 370-375.
Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful Sampling for Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis in Mixed Method Implementation Research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 42(5), 533-544.
Pérez-Seijo, S., & Silva-Rodríguez, A. (2024). Innovation in digital media beyond technology: The audience-centered approach and pending challenges. Journalism and Media, 5(1), 311-324.
Quintana Alvarez, A., Moreno Cano, A., & Gutierrez, M. (2025). The Adaptation to New Audiences and Digital Narratives in Theater: A Case Study in Campo de Gibraltar, Spain. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 1-24.
Silver, C. L. (2023). Getting in on the Action: Spectatorship at the Technologized Interface of Live Performance (Doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto (Canada)).
Takala, G. B. (2023). The interactive creativity of the digital era: Exploring how media art redefines the relationship between audience and artwork. Studies in Art and Architecture, 2(3), 28-44.
Tallon, A. (2017). Virtual Reality and Theatre: New Tools for a New Art Form. In P. Kalinowska & Z. Paplińska (Eds.), Theatre in Virtual Spaces (pp. 15-30). Kraków: Jagiellonian University Press.
Triberti, S., & Riva, G. (2016). Being Present in Action: A Theoretical Model about the “Interlocking” between Intentions and Environmental Affordances. Frontiers in Psychology, 6(2025).
Xiaoyu, M. (2024). Innovation and Challenges of Urban Creative Products in Digital Media Art-Tourist cities in China for example. International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology, 12(1), 175-181.
Zakopoulos, V., Makri, A., Ntanos, S., & Tampakis, S. (2023). Drama/theatre performance in education through the use of digital technologies for enhancing students’ sustainability awareness: A literature review. Sustainability, 15(18), 13387.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Xu Jiaming, Syarul Azlina Sikandar, Xie Bo, Zainatul Shuhaida Abdull Rahman

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.