>Would this idea lead to an open-ended script which the audience would
>allow the audience to choose which direction to go? Sort of like the
>experiments in New York cinema where the audience was given keypads to
>choose the direction they thought the story would go.
Jeff, that is a possibility but I was thinking more in terms of giving the
INDIVIDUAL, not the majority, greater freedom of expression. How this
flexibility of interaction would work is an open question. It could be as
simple as allowing the individual audience members some control over their
own actions and dialogues within a set script or even allow for
improvisation by the actors. However, the text would have to be designed
so that there would be a continuity of action regardless of the audience's
response. This would hopefully make the technical requirements a bit less
difficult which, as Santiago has rightfully pointed out, could present some
difficulties in its various manifestations.
Some additional considerations:
Monika Wunderer has pointed out that there has been an ongoing debate about
the level of audience involvement, whether too much involvement detracts
from the audience's appreciation of the play and makes it a performance or
event instead of "theater that we are used to." Obviously, how this issue
is decided will have some bearing on these ideas.
>
>Obviously we would want a limited number of choices, but then the
>audience majorities could be sent to a central point and then the actors
>would know that instead of going to the cyclops the audience had chosen
>to travel to visit the isle of circe.
Allowing the audience greater flexibility in choosing their destination
does have great possibilies but might not be practical. Have to see what
the technical experts think of this option. I also have given this idea a
little bit more thought and have come to the realization that Odysseus
himself had little or no control over his destinations. It was in the
hands of fate and the Gods. In this case, that means Monika and the
wonderful crew that has been assembled.
>
>An extremely challenging and time consuming process, but it would
>definitely allow the audience to take and odyssey and challenge the
>actors with mythological proportions!!
Well, it is a project of potential mythological proportions.
Lee