What do you find more engaging: watching a movie, or playing a video game? While both can tell incredible stories, there’s a fundamental difference. A movie is a passive experience; you are watching someone else’s story unfold. A video game is an active experience; you are a participant, and your choices shape the outcome. This distinction gets to the heart of what makes for truly memorable entertainment. The best experiences don’t just show you a story; they make you a part of it.

This philosophy is the foundation of my work. I believe the future of sophisticated, live entertainment is interactive.

The Psychology of Agency

Having a sense of agency—the feeling that our choices are our own and that they have a real impact on the world—is a fundamental human need. When we feel like we have agency, we are more confident, more engaged, and more invested in the outcome.

Think of the difference between being told a story about a hero and being asked to make a key decision that determines the hero’s fate. In my “UNIQUE” show, the entire performance is structured around the audience’s choices. The show they see is the one they, as a group, choose to create. When an audience is given this kind of agency, their perception of the event fundamentally shifts. They are no longer just watching a performance; they are a part of it.

From Spectator to Co-Creator

Interactive entertainment intentionally blurs the line between the audience and the performer. It transforms the spectator from a passive consumer into an active co-creator.

When I ask an audience member to make a choice—to select a word from a page, to name a place that is special to them, to decide which path the story should take—their input is never arbitrary. It becomes the essential, core element around which the final moment of impossibility is built. This elevates the role of the audience member. The experience feels less like a demonstration of my skill and more like a shared accomplishment. The wonder belongs to everyone.

A One-of-a-Kind Memory

Perhaps the most powerful outcome of an interactive performance is that it becomes, by its very nature, unique and unrepeatable. The show that happens on Tuesday night will be different from the show that happens on Wednesday night, because the audience will be different. Their choices will be different.

This creates an incredibly valuable experience for everyone present. They were not just at a show; they were at their show, a one-time-only event that they helped to bring to life. This feeling of “you had to be there” creates a powerful landmark memory, strengthening the event’s impact and the social bonds between the attendees who co-created it.

Your Turn to Choose

The trend across all forms of media is toward greater interactivity. We want to be involved, to have a say, to feel that our choices matter. Transforming passive viewers into active participants is the key to creating more engaging, more personal, and truly unforgettable experiences. So, for every event planner, every leader, every host, I leave you with this question:

How can you give your audience more agency at your next event?

Internal Links: The Spectator as Hero: Why the Best Magic Puts the Audience First, The Shared Mystery: How Wonder Connects Us

External Link: An article on the psychology of agency and its importance