Designing Immersive Worlds Workshop with Casey Jay Andrews of Punchdrunk

Designing Immersive Worlds explores the design principles behind narrative-driven environments.

Led by Punchdrunk designer Casey Jay Andrews, this workshop unpacks her creative process behind projects including Punchdrunk’s "Viola’s Room", Francesca Moody’s Edinburgh Fringe venue "Shedinburgh", and other large-scale immersive installations.

From working with a source text to designing site-sympathetically across a variety of scales, you will explore how layout, material, and detail construct story through environment. Through case studies and practical exercises, the session challenges traditional approaches to design, while offering artistic insights and methods that can be applied directly to your own work.

This workshop is for creatives at any stage of their career — you don’t need to be a designer. Directors, writers, performers, and other creative practitioners will gain a deeper understanding of how environments shape narrative and audience experience, and explore approaches that can be applied across disciplines to enrich their own creative practice.

Image above: Punchdrunk "Viola's Room"

About Casey Jay Andrews (Punchdrunk Designer):

Casey Jay Andrews is a multi-award winning writer, designer, and theatre-maker (Fringe First Award; Best Design Off-West End Award; Adelaide Fringe Overall Best Theatre Award). She is the designer of Punchdrunk’s "Viola’s Room", was Assistant Head of Design on "The Burnt City", and is an Associate Artist of Punchdrunk Enrichment.

Her work as a cross-disciplinary creative spans writing, theatre-making, and large scale immersive design, combining meticulous craft with storytelling that audiences inhabit. Her recent project "Oh My Heart, Oh My Home" (Edinburgh 2023; Washington DC 2024; Adelaide 2025) was conceived to marry both sides of her creative practice: intricate design seamlessly harmonised with intimate stripped-back storytelling.

Website

Participants will gain:

• Creative research and development approaches from professional immersive theatre practice, applicable across disciplines

• Practical tools to translate design principles into participants’ own creative projects

• Insight into how environment, layout, material, and design detail shape narrative and audience experience

• Case studies and exercises exploring immersive storytelling principles

• Strategies for working with source material and designing site-sympathetically

What to bring:

• Water bottle

• Notebook or sketchbook and something to write with.

Requirements:

This workshop is for creatives at any stage of their career — you don’t need to be a designer.

Artists seeking to deepen their understanding of how environments shape narrative and audience experience. The workshop provides insights and approaches that can be applied across disciplines to enrich creative practice.

Workshop participants must be over 18 years of age.

Dates/Times:

• Friday 20th March 10.00am - 1.00pm

  Doors open at 9.45am

Cost: $75.00 (+ Humanitix Booking Fee)

Concession: $50.00 (including Fringe Artists)

Where:

State Library of South Australia

North Terrace, Adelaide SA

More details will be supplied after enrolment.

Accessibility:

This workshop will be mostly seated, with some discussion based collaborative group work. Visual material will be described for participants with sight differences.

Refund Policy:

Courtyard/ FRANK. standard policy: Due to limited capacities, refunds are not available. If we are able to fill a cancelled place with another participant, a full refund will be issued.

This workshop is part of a series of workshops - FRANK. Workshop Series at The Courtyard of Curiosities, workshops are taking place during the Adelaide Fringe Festival at the State Library of SA and Migration Museum. Workshop places must be booked in advance, and there are limited places. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch - director@franktheatre.com.au