‘Will we be blindfolded and led to a shallow grave?’: Alter by Kamchàtka takes immersive theatre to next level

The audience exudes nervous excitement … Kamchàtka’s Alter. Photograph: Per Rasmussen

We have been instructed to turn up at a Milton Keynes car park at dusk and wait to board a bus that will take us to an undisclosed location. The scenario feels quite crime noir – will we be blindfolded and led to a shallow grave? But actually, this is next-level, site-specific theatre that unfolds over 90 minutes in gathering darkness. The audience around me exudes nervous excitement as the bus stops and we are directed to a dirt track leading into woodland.

We are in the hands of the artist collective Kamchàtka, who began life performing group improvisations on the streets of Barcelona in 2006 and which, under the artistic direction of Adrian Schvarzstein, and now use immersive and experiential theatre to explore the subject of immigration. The company has played acclaimed shows around the world, from the eponymous Kamchàtka in 2007 to Alter, this latest, fourth production set in a nocturnal and rural environment, performed in the UK as part of IF: Milton Keynes international festival.