Recycled Space

Interaction on stage isn’t a new idea but it usually relates to the technical side of the theatre, ie sound, lighting and scenery. Motion detectors trigger an event which causes something to happen. The idea of interaction with audiences, well, thats also been done but mostly in amusement parks or those pesky television shows that give audiences a choice to make. There is also another layer. Merce Cunningham’ s new work, eyeSpace uses ipods and lets the audience pick their own music while watching dancers. I didn’t see the piece but theoretically, there might be crucial moments that need highlighting with sounds which are missed because of the audience having control over the music. Adding on top of this layer, there is also sound coming from the theatre loudspeaker. Everything put together and you have a normal day outside with what I’m sure is a well choreographed dance. The interaction of the audience isn’t exploding but imploding. The audience is taken to a cocoon level. The headphones and ipods create a fifth wall. Not exactly what I have in mind when talking about interaction with audiences.

One other thing that I would like to try with audience interaction is with cell phones. Who doesn’t have a cell phone? I do know one person that didn’t have a cell phone for a long time but changed his mind when he got hit by cupid. I would love to have a system of computers and cell phones connected to a lighting or sound console where people can send a text message to a particular number. This system could either trigger visual changes, musical changes or have the actual text message displayed on monitors or through a video projector. I’m sure geeks and kids would love this but maybe not the one who pays the bill. These triggers could also dictate the movement of the dancers on stage either through the arc of the dance or to give them a note on their intent. For Example, lets say someone sends a text message saying; “Peace on earth”. The dancer who gets the text message can extrapolate this message to be more peaceful. It could also move to another level, for example, a message that has certain logic like brightness could bring the lights to a higher intensity. There might be something more useful in the future but until then I believe that text messaging is one way that can lead to interactivity on stage with the technology available today.