For audiences, it has a campfire vibe and immersive appeal. Performers and directors explain the rewards – and challenges – of ‘acting 360 degrees’

An actor strides down the stairs inches from where I sit. Another speaks from the far side of the auditorium. I’m aware, too, of the audience as we face each other at the New Vic in Newcastle-under-Lyme. The New Vic is a theatre-in-the-round, with a stage in the centre encircled by seats, so it often breaks the fourth wall and creates a sense of shared experience.

“Every piece of theatre we make is about that community you’re looking at opposite you,” says Theresa Heskins, the artistic director, who adapted and directed its current production, The Three Musketeers. “Their presence is part of the show.”