Interactive Theatre

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/theater/10ishe.html?_r=1&ref=theater&oref=slogin

When Audiences Get In on the Act by Charles Isherwood

Charles Isherwood seems to be the New York Times main writer for the theater section of the arts paper. Etiquette, one of the performances that he highlights, has a very interesting premise. The audience themselves act out the play in groups of two. He began the article with an interesting lede, stating that he had recently made his stage debut.

Isherwood contributes this growing popularity for the audience to interact with the idea that the general public likes to perform. On site like YouTube, anyone can post a video performance. The audience likes to be actively engaged in the performance. He highlights a past performance where the theatre have engaged such behavior, reviewing Masque. Where the audience wanders through a house setting where they find fragments of the story.

Isherwood highlights several more pieces of “interactive theatre” where he judges the medium as one that will draw audiences in, but could be difficult to pull off. He argues that focusing on the audience will draw the attention away from the plotline. Individuals cannot lose themselves in the acting. Many people go to the theatre to be passively entertained; what’s next? Interactive movies? Interactive music albums?