HAPPENED

Thing

THEATRE

On The Way To The

UNDER STA NDING THE THEATR E AUDIENCE

HAPPENED

Thing

THEATRE
John Howrey
BY

On The Way To The

SETTING EXPECTATIONS
Kind Of A Big Deal
i

INTRODUCTION

WATCHER WATCHED
AND THE
1

THE

THE BARD BEAT DOWN

Shakespeare Doesnt Have To Be Boring!
11

WHAT IS THIS THESIS ABOUT?

Hint: It's About Audience
vii

A History of the Theatre SPECIAL PULL-OUT Audience

SECTION!

A Sermon in Five Parts

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DYNAMIC MEDIA?
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS,

WHY

ECOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION
SPEAKEASY STAGE
25

Creating an
with

OK AT BROADWAY THEA TR MARKETING! E

INCLUDING A LO

EMMA THOMPSON&
ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE
A Media Journey
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EXPERIENCE ENHANCERS
INTRODUCTION 24: GENES@CO-OP
5 7 23 55 77 101

KILLING GAME
An Absurdist Touchpoint
57

RADIO

or, How My Dog Inspires Me

xxxix

SWEETPEA

TAKING WALKS WITH

STEPPENWOLF THEATRE HISTORY OF THE VAULT SIGNATURE THEATRE

LOBBY DISPLAYS AT THE ART

HUNTINGTON THEATRE

TOM STOPPARD
Relationship With Audience
xli

MARIE ANTOINETTE
Introducing a New Play
105

HAPGOOD& ARCADIA

STEWARDSHIP IN

COMMEDIA

TOY THEATRE
Lets Put On a Show!
81 199

THE GLASS MENAGERIE

Classic Work In a New Light
149

EXPERIENCE SKETCHBOOK
Where the Author Gets To Say, What If ?! For Hours On End

CONCLUSION

229

Opposite: Teatro Alla Scala, View of the Interior Looking toward the Boxes. 2006. Photograph. Scala Archives, Florence. artstor. Web. www.artres.com/c/ htm/Home.aspx.

WHEN DOES A PERFORMANCE BEGIN?

For the audience, the experience of a show begins long the applause has faded. By combining experience design and dramaturgical outreach how can we deepen the before the house lights dim and continues long after

ECOLOGY OF
surrounding a performance? How many ways can we what the performance experience? In what ways can we understand audiences relationship with a production as touch the audience and enhance their understanding of

COMMUNICATION
A COMPLETELY DESIGNED EXPERIENCE?
The research documented in this thesis uses a variety of

TOUCHPOINTS
such as lobby experiences, institutional branding, and other audience outreach modes in both analog and digital formats.

It was an innocent gag. My sister and I would grab an empty can of Diet Coke from the trash, wash it, fill it with water, and distract our mother while we replaced her freshly opened cola with water. As she raised the fake can to her mouth we would stare intently to catch her reaction.
INTRODUCTION

this Diet Coke tastes like shit. it tastes like water.

When you think youre about to taste one thing and, instead, get something entirely different, your senses start asking some major life questions. My mom, expecting a sweet cola flavor, would pucker her facecompletely disgusted by the taste of water. It was like this Diet Coke was the most vile, disgusting thing she had ever tasted. She figured it out fairly quickly and we all had a good laugh. We were playing around with expectations. Even at our young age we understood the psychology of our little experimentthe most likely thing for my mother to ingest was the Diet Coke and not a big gulp of water. The expectation was set by her experience of pulling the can from the refrigerator, the silver aluminum can and her previous experience with said can. Thirty years later it occurs to me that this question of expectation is something Im still playing with, and thats what this thesis is all about. A prefacewhich this purports to beshould set the stage. It should draw the reader in and prepare them for what theyre about to read. Thats what the soda can is as it raises to your lips: an introduction to whats about to hit your taste buds. And this moment of preamble is what has been central to my work. To focus my work, I have centered my research on theatrical performances and how audiences are readied for them. Dynamic media can provide exciting opportunities for theatresespecially those which are budget- and personnel strapped at all times. And this choice has allowed me to bridge the gap between my work in theatre and design. My research has been wide and varied, ranging from the question of the necessity of theatre to the use of transitional space to modern audience development and outreach. I have conducted interviews with producers, media and marketing managers, development directors and dramaturgs. Some case studies prove the effectiveness of setting the right tone for a performance. Others provide a system for theatres both large and small to begin to create engaging experiences outside of the auditorium. Still others look at the effect of solid branding and communication strategies. In no way do I expect this book to answer all the questions surrounding the audience experience. Also, I do not expect what Ive learned to stay completely in the world of theatrical performance. I can easily see this research being of use to any organization with an audience, be it a product or service being offered. Before I get into the specifics of this research, though, I'm going to spend some time on myself. The following series of essays are about me, my process, and I.
INTRODUCTION

iii

There is an art to watching and being watched, and that is one of the few arts on which all human living depends. If we are unwatched we diminish, and we cannot be entirely as we wish to be. If we never stop to watch, we will know only how it feels to be us, never how it might feel to be another. Watched too much, or in the wrong way, we become frightened. Watching too much, we lose the capacity for action in our own lives. Watching well, together, and being watched well, with limits on both sides, we grow, and grow together.
Paul Woodruff, The Necessity of Theatre: The Art of Watching and Being Watched

Introduction

vi

THING HAPPENED

The theatre is open for business and has been for millennia. Coming from its place in historygrowing from ritual and storytelling at the beginning of our history with languagetheatre has retained an immediacy. The sense of community has remained and is unique in the live theatre. In a movie theatre you are alone, or alone with a partner. On the couch you are similarly alone. And with the radio. Or iPhone. Or on the computer. The theatre remains the only art form that unites an audience in time and space. It is immediate. It is happening right now. Not only is the theatre a communal event, it is a genuinely cooperative art. On any given show there will be a writer, a director, actors, designers, administrative staff and an audience. In many ways, the last member of the team is the most important since every other person on the team has been working for the audience's approval and satisfaction since day
Introduction

vii

one. Unfortunately, the audience may be the most frequently invoked yet least understood element of a performance event(Wolf 14). However, this is a relatively recent development in our understanding of theatre. Aristotle identified audience as the most crucial aspect of a rhetorical situation: Of the three elements in speech, speaker, subject, and person addressed, it is the last one, the hearer, that determines the speech's end and object (Aristotle). He set up the first rules by declaring that audiences should learn that tragedies end badly and that bad people are punished. Life must be presented as black and white. Drama and poetry served the greater good by making sure that the masses knew their place followed the rules. That isn't really viewing the audience as an equal part in the performance but more closely resembles a teacher-student relationship.

viii

THING HAPPENED

Centuries later, in 1563, Antonio Minturno said that the purpose of all poetry is to instruct, delight and move (Parente). This was his interpolation of Horatio's to instruct and to delight and is generally credited with being one of the earliest moments where the audience's experience of drama was the focus of thought. In Weimar Germany, Bertolt Brecht challenged conventional understanding of theatrical performance and its relationship to audience. In his writings, he notes much theatre theory still regards the theatre performance as something created and set before an essentially passive audience. He decried this complete lack of consideration for how audience's learn to respond or what remains and contributions it brings to the event (Freshwater 251).
They scarcely communicate with each other; their relations are those of a lot of sleepers. ... True, their eyes are open, but they stare rather than see, just as they
Introduction

ix

listen rather than hear. They look at the stage as if in a trance. ... Seeing and hearing are activities, and can be pleasant ones, but these people seem relieved of activity and like men to whom something is being done. (Freshwater 251)

He continues by saying that this is an effect of the shortcomings of contemporary theatre and is not completely the fault of the audience. In his own work, Brecht tried to create a distancing effect between stage and audience, known as Verfremsdungeffekt. Rather than accepting an audience that would hang its brains up in the cloakroom along with its coat, he wanted to help the audience understand that they could affect social change. Brecht is likely the best-known person to have addressed perceived audience passivity in his work, and his attempts and style continue to be tested around the world ever since (Carlson 389).

THING HAPPENED

Some recent studies reflect a desire from audiences for something morethey want more engagement, more of a social dynamic, more connection to the art and to each other. They want to feel invested in theatre. Surely this statement cannot accurately reflect the goals of each and every audience member, but the basic human desires expressedinclusion, community, experienceare not surprising and may just be better expressed on a spectrum. However, the idea of getting audiences more involved in the world of the play before they see it undoubtedly will make for a richer experience overall. Of course one would not want to give anything away. One would not want to change the actual performance or do anything to take away from the work on the stage. And for goodness sake, don't give the plot away. But having a sense of the context of the play, perhapsor a basic conception of

xi

Introduction

the narrative or an introduction to the directorial conceitsmight be the sort of thing that draws the audience more into the production. I will only briefly mention the fact that theatres have tried to include these sorts of things as writing inside the program. Sadly, the pre-show experience for most audience members is occupied by visits to the restroom, the concession stand and the seats of friends. Director and dramaturgical notes are often long and dense pieces of writing that don't inspire quick reading. Some theaters use dramaturgical lobby displays as a way to present information to an audience before the show. In Ghost Light: An Introductory Handbook for Dramaturgy, Michael M. Chemers says that these lobby displays are another opportunity for the dramaturg to cultivate the ideal mindset in the audience (169). He points out that it is a great place for ideas that don't fit into

xii

THING HAPPENED

the program notes. This presents a hierarchical challenge: why would you put the most important things in small type in a program and leave the leftovers to a large visual display in the lobby? Regardless, the idea is to present a framework for experiencing a show and it must consist of elements outside of performance. Stacy Ellen Wolf states, in Theatre as Social Practice: Local Ethnographies of Audience Reception, that the ways in which audiences use theatre are often much more about context than about the performance text.Why people go to certain theaters, whom they go with, what happens before and after and other seemingly social confers are fundamental aspects of theatre (5). Architect Bonita Roche takes that further by suggesting that the theatre-going experience is the performance, which begins from its first advertisement and continues well past the time the audience has physically left the theatre (Roche 4).
Introduction

xiii

xiv

If we are to consider making the audience a greater part of the theatre, shouldn't we consider all these things? When we ask about the experience of a performance shouldn't we be asking about all of the things surrounding a show? The first experience with a show's artworkor even just the name of the productionis the point at which the performance begins. It is a question of dramaturgical and educational information, of branding and marketing, of customer service; in essence, it is about service design. This is where dynamic media comes in and takes the stage. Many theatres have already taken the reins and have begun to extend elements of the theatrical experience into browsers via websites and social media. Though theatre professionals are well equipped as storytellers, that skill does not always seem to translate to experience design. Consequently, Twitter becomes a place to purely retweet congratulatory
A THING HAPPENED

statements or post links to positive reviews. Facebook is often a place to promote ticket discounts or special offers. Even sadder, the website is usually nothing more than a digital version of the shows program with color photographs. Its not because of any deficit in intelligence at theatres where you always have incredibly bright folks toiling diligently behind the scenes. The challenge is that not enough people are looking at these new forms of communication and considering the best way for a certain production or organization to use them. Theatres need guidance toward a new paradigm of service design. Even the simplicity of the question, When does the play begin? may be enough to get the ball rolling for somethough the implications of such a question may be too far from traditional structures. Clearly defined strategies and infrastructure recommendations will be key to great development. A
Introduction

xv

specific list of equipment needs as a base for almost any sort of interaction would be a way to start. To encourage theatres to find local artists and designers to work with is another. It may also be that theatres need to be reminded of the importance of the totality of the audience experience.

xvi

THING HAPPENED

A SER MON IN FI VE PA RTS

WHY DYNAMIC
MEDIA?
Is an iPhone app always the most appropriate way to engage in a conversation with an audience? Of course not. Is a book? Emphatically: no. Are each of them viable options for storytelling and conversation? Hell yes! Its about matching the criteria for the experience with the appropriate method.

PART 1

A REALLY CUTE STORY ABOUT A REALLY NERDY KID

I was obsessed with opera in the fourth grade. After I begged her, my mother bought me the score to Mozarts The Marriage of Figaro. I didnt know anything about it but I did know that I liked Mozart and opera. At my next piano lesson, I told my piano teacher, Ms. Elan, that I wanted to play it. She looked at me, my mother, and then back to me: Sure. Well just start at the beginning. I joined her at the piano and looked at the first measure of music. We took it one note at a time, starting with the first measure. Right hand: d-c-d-c-d. Left hand: d-c-d-c-d. Right and left together:

d-c-d Too hard. Lets try the left again.

And so on.

As I struggled through the lesson she never let me forget any of the basics: sit up straight, curve your fingers, look at the music. Just because I was doing something new and different (and extremely challenging) was no reason to slouch in piano playings basic requirements. We never made it past the first page of music. It didnt matter, though. What mattered is that I had a crazy idea and no one told me that I couldnt do it or, worse, that I shouldnt even try. Twenty-plus years later, in an undergraduate design class at MassArt, Brian Lucid taught me the same thing about using new technology to find solutions: just start at the beginning and youll figure out the other stuff along the way. It was a breakthrough moment for me: the Onomatopoeia project in Type 2a fantastically designed assignment where students create a short animation for an instrumental piece of music using only typography. Notice that I didnt mention software in that brief description. The project is supposed to be about storytelling, pacing, creative typography and conceptual thinking. Sadly, it is usually known as the After

Effects Project. Some students become so drastically worried about the program used to create animations that they forget what they are supposed to do as visual artists and designers. My own experience teaching the class shows me that the more time spent on ideas of choreography and storytellingand less on button-clickingthe more successful the students will feel and the more fantastic their animations will be. Alternately, some professors approach the project with fear and dread, telling the students, This is hard. This is the most difficult app you will ever use. Suddenly the project is about a complex computer program and not about the design principles it is supposed to teach. What brought me to MassArts Dynamic Media Institute? The chance to be a design professor and to teach the next generation of designers what I learned from Ms. Elan and Brian Lucid.

xxii

Somewhere in here I became a music nerd. And they took pictures of it every single year.

THING HAPPENED

xxiii

PART 2

IN WHICH WE LEARN THAT DESIGN IS DEAD (LONG LIVE DESIGN!)

Hyperbolic statements regarding the death of print design have caused a sea-change in design education and, to some extent, rightfully so. The rise of interactive media only pointed to the major problem with traditional design education: it was training design technicians rather than design thinkers and dreamers. Now, with the constant advent of new media, we are slipping down the same hole, with website and mobile app design being taught instead of books and posters. Students are spending more time learning how to codebe it html, Java, Flash, or Processingand less time learning to think about their role as designers. Communication basics are forgotten as code is stressed. Im often told that designers need to know how to code in order to compete for a job and these programming abilities must be stressed as a part of a design curriculum. The problem is that the code of today may be obsolete tomorrow while the tenets of design will continue to be tools that we access on a regular basis. Rather than focusing on

INTRODUCTION

media as an endpoint, we need to teach a new kind of flexibility in which designers think in all media without having to know the insand-outs of coding/developing/building in the media themselves. Design should be about possibilities and designers should be dreamers. Focusing simply on media-as-a-study limits us to what we know is attainable through existing means. Our study should focus on what if and not how to. We need to be artistically curious and intellectually rigorous. We need to be able to think up the craziest things and then figure out how to make them happen. This is how innovation occurs. When looking for solutions to communication challenges, there are basic tenets at our disposal: unity, point/line/plane, balance, hierarchy, scale, similarity/contrast. These are the same things that have been taught to artists and designers for many years as a part of traditional design education. These are also the same principles that are forgotten in classes about web design.
xxiv

What brought me to MassArts Dynamic Media Institute? I want to bring this kind of thinking to a new generation of designers.

PART 3

IN WHICH OUR HERO COMPLAINS ABOUT MEDIA

Using word processing software does not make you Tolstoy. Knowledge of InDesign does not make you Paul Rand. A camera phone does not make you Annie Leibowitz. Being able to use the tools doesnt mean anythingits what you do with those tools that matters. Processing, javascript, html and their kin are simply tools, just in the way that cameras and typewriters are tools. Illustrators dont take classes in how to hold a pencil so why should we take a class about html? My typography classes were not, nor should they have ever been, about InDesign or Illustrator. Its not about the media. I feel like I need to shout it from the rooftop: ITS NOT ABOUT THE MEDIA! What point is the media if we arent working with the tenets of communication and design? Does it matter
A THING HAPPENED

what color the word is if the word itself is wrong? Is something special just because it is digital? Its not about the media. What is it about? Dynamism. Storytelling. Conversation. What is it not about? Pixels.

dvds. Robots.

Is an iPhone app always the most appropriate way to engage in a conversation with an audience? Of course not. Is a book? Emphatically, no. Are each of them viable options for storytelling and conversation? Hell yes! Its about matching the criteria for the experience with the appropriate method. Though print design has taken a back seat to screen-based design the old media rules may still apply. We are still reading or watching in this new media world. Have the truths about how we read or watch changed? Absolutely not. It is still important to know how the specifics of a type setting will affect the legibility of type. It is still important to know how to pair work and image. It is still important to understand the concepts of pacing and spacing. Isnt there a possibility that these ideas will be lost in the classroom if the main story becomes about coding a website? True, the study of media is important. Designers must know what is out there in the world so that problem solving becomes possible. But in the same way that grade school science teachers should not teach to the test, design educators should not teach to the technology. The next generation of designers need to be dreamers. Technological solutions are the easy part, its the ideas that are hard to come by. What brought me to MassArts Dynamic Media Institute? Because to research and dream. I know that, despite the titular focus on media, dmi would be a place
xxv

PART 4

A FEW THOUGHTS ON EXPERIENCE

Experience is so commonplace that we dont think about it. There is experience when you walk down the street. There is experience when you board a train. There is experience in Macys, public parks, the kitchen, the bathroom. Similarly, every website, gallery, book and postcard is an experience.
INTRODUCTION

Every experience informs the next. The slack-jawed clerk at the grocery store who refuses to make eye contact informs the rest of the shopping trip. Clear way-finding in a subway system makes the entire vacation a more enjoyable escape. Polite and attentive ushers at a theatre ensure that your evening out is a special time for you and your family. What brought me to MassArts Dynamic Media Institute? I wanted the experience of school again. I wanted to make sure that I could do more than my current job opportunities would allow.

PART 5

A BOOK IS A SIGN
xxvi

In what is known as traditional design education we learn about the components of a book. There are title pages, half-titles, sidebars, call outs, tables of contents, indices, running headers, footers, and more. We learn what, but we dont learn why. We dont consider why these elements exist. If we did, our traditional design background would transition beautifully to a more all-encompasing design ability. We could think about the journey through a book and connect it to the broader idea of the users path through an experience. What are these book elements when converted to other communication forms? Title pages and half titles are guide posts telling us what we are looking at. They are road signs telling us were in the right place. They give credit to creators. They are store signs, landing pages, street signs. Sidebars and call outs are hierarchical structures providing extra information or emphasizing an important point. They provide context for the reader. They create opportunities for the adjustment of pacing. They are moments of pause. They are historical placards in a city, park benches, mannequins, and, on websites, call outs and sidebars. Running headers, footers, page numbers and indices are the guideposts of the book, telling you where you are or where to look. They tell road signs, card catalogs and mile markers. you where to go and how far youve come. They are distance signs, gps,

THING HAPPENED

The conversation surrounding design education should never begin with the difference between media. Programs today are replacing typography classes with web design. How is this useful? What brought me to MassArts Dynamic Media Institute? Because Im tired of people claiming that design is dead. Because Im tired of web developers telling me that my idea wont work. Because Im tired of print designers telling me that interactive work is too hard. Because Im convinced that traditional design will not die when they stop cutting down trees to make books. Because I know that the next batch of designers are going to change the world and theyd better have the skills to get it right.

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INTRODUCTION

A JOUR NEY THROUGH MEDIA

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS,
EMMA THOMPSON &

ALEXANDER

TECHNIQUE
It is possible, too, that in writing these very simple early programs I was already thinking about story, pace, imagery and text; laying the groundwork for my future work as a designer.

Previous: Still from Howards End. Dir. James Ivory. Prod. Ismail Merchant. By Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Perf. Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter, and Emma Thompson. Sony Pictures Classics, 1992. Right: Photo of TI-99/4A. Digital image. TI-99/4A. 99er.net, n.d. Web. <aug.99er.net/ ti-99_4a.htm>.

One dayI couldnt have been more than 8 or 9 years oldmy dad brought home a computer. It was the coolest thing Id ever seen. We hooked the box up to a tv and the blue screen came on. The computer was a keyboard sitting on top of a big box. Id seen them before when visiting my Dad at his office. He was an engineer for Texas Utilities and spent most of his days working in cad. He would show me and my sister drawings of Mickey Mouse that he had made and would delight us by printing them out on his enormous printer. This computer he brought home, though, was magical. It could do things for us, like repeat lines of text that we typed in:
10 PRINT Hi! Im John. Im using a computer. 20 PRINT: Hi, John. Thanks for using me. 30 END

We used it to draw circles, write music and play games. We loved every single minute. It was short lived, sadly, since my Dad had to take it back to work. Sometimes, if we begged enough, hed find a way to bring it home again. I was especially proud of my ability to make it play music. Id pull out my piano lesson books and start entering the notes from the staves. Especially exciting was getting it to play Bachs Invention #8. I had learned how to play it on the piano and was just in love with the baroque masterpiece. Starting with my memories of the Texas Instruments 99/4a, in the end, is not actually about the computer. It was my father who is the main part of the story. I dont know if it ever occurred to him that his young children might not be able to grasp the concepts of basic programming. Instead, he just turned it on and played with us. Hed give a few

pointers and set us free. At no point were we scared or confused by the machinery in front of uswe were excited by the possibilities. It is possible, too, that in writing these very simple early programs I was already thinking about story, pace, imagery and text; laying the groundwork for my future work as a designer. My dad didnt only introduce us to computers. We spent many hours in the garage with him, sometimes working on cars but often just building stuff. Strongest in my memory are the times that we built a battery and wired a light switch. I didnt really understand how wrapping wire around a bolt would make a magnet but my success at doing so created an incredible feeling of accomplishment. Im sure my dad just loved seeing the look of wonder on our faces. There was no true pedagogical goal here but there were strong lessons. If I, a mere fourth grader, can make a magnet, then I can do just about anything. My father never said anything about it being above my abilities or something that I should be nervous about. It was just about
xxxii

following a set of instructions and making it happen. Moving into the 1990s brought a Nintendo to my bedroom. Playing with the Mario Brothers, Link and Zelda began taking up my time on a frequent basis. It wasnt the danger and violence that drew me inthough I certainly loved playing Street Fighter and Castlevania, too. Rather, I was drawn in by the storiesthe rules and mythology of these fantastical worlds. I was able to make choices that I was not allowed to make in real life. I could escape. I could make believe that I was a fighting a dragon or battling nasty mushrooms. Part of the stimulation of a game is that we are forced to be in the moment. If you just allow the world to wash over you, the game will end in your defeat. You have to respond to everything that comes your way. Game playing, though, was never more than light diversion. It filled the void left in a rather friendless childhood and it faded as I left my small grade school for the wider world of high school where life would turn to theatre and music and I would find more like-minded peers. In my sophomore year I decided to audition for the fall play, Noises Off. In preparation for the audition I watched the movie and read the script as much as possible. My English accent practice was aided by repeated viewings of Howards End and I was sure I sounded as sophisticated as Emma Thompson did to my 15-year-old ears. I wasnt nervous but

THING HAPPENED

xxxiii

excited, and it was probably the best performance I ever gave as an actor. I let myself fall directly into the characters I was asked to read. I was holding my own against the more accomplished juniors and seniors who were also auditioningand probably more than holding my own. I just said the lines and really meant them, which may seem a facile way to describe what I did, but thats what I thought acting was. What I didnt have were any of the hang-ups that many performers usually gather along the way. I wasnt worried about what I looked like, sounded like or any other thing that might bring judgement from my
Howard's End Poster. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., 16 Aug. 2008. Web. 12 Apr. 2013.

INTRODUCTION

peers. How could I? I was playing Lloyd, not Johnand Lloyd didnt care a bit what my peers thought of him. I was completely inside this man. Remaining perfectly clear in my memory about this audition is the last moment when my hand slammed down on the stage. I was reading a scene with Heather Child, the grande dame of the Nolan High School Theatre Department: she as Dottie and I as Lloyd. It was a heated argument with Dottie making ludicrous demands on her exasperated director, Lloyd. We sparred. I mean, really sparred. I would have been nervous to speak to the glamorous and talented Heather in the hallway but here, in this scene, I was her equal in a way I never imagined possible. It was probably the fifth or sixth time Id run the scene and was practically off book and I was becoming more confident. I didnt know anything about the concept of the actors choice at that point, but I was making major choicesthrowing caution to the wind. Our scene reached a fevered pitch and with the last line (now lost to a faltering memory) I slammed my hand down on the stage emphatically making
xxxiv

a point. With that slap of skin on wood I awoke as is from a dream, barely aware of what I had just done. I had inhabited a rolegiven myself over completely to the part. In the mid-1990s, Texas had yet to require a computer class for graduation but my school offered a basic programming elective. I dont remember very much except for the awkwardness of Windows 3.1. Some time in the early weeks I realized we were learning the same things my dad had taught me and my sister many years before. For my final project, I wowed everyone by having my computer play Here Comes the Sun over the image of a sun rising. I think the assignment was to make a tv commercial. There was text involved, imagery, sound and movement. Since I wasnt scared of the computer I was able to focus on the content. I remember having so much fun making ita lmost a devil-may-care kind of attitude. This was probably my first true experience as a graphic designer. What made it great was that I didnt even know what I was doing. It was funand thats all that mattered. I havent thought about that basic programming class in a long time. Its rather liberating to remember a time whenperhaps navelyI was not worried about money, the world, or the opinions of my peers. I could just play. In my voice and movement class at the University of Texas at Austin we spent a lot of time breathing. Some folks called it Yoga. Actually, it

THING HAPPENED

was based in the Alexander Technique which focuses on the release of unnecessary muscular tension thereby correcting the distortion, imbalance and compression that builds up over the course of our lives. Much of the release was found through the simple act of breathing. By finding my breath, I could harness the energy and warmth and use it to control my body more than ever before. At the beginning of every class wed be on our backs, on the floor, taking deep breaths; in through the nose, out through the mouth. Jim Hancock, our teacher, mentioned something on the first day of class that will remain with me forever: the way humans breathe changes after, roughly, the age of five. Prior to that, all our breaths are deep and long with our lungs expanding down and out, filling completely. At some point in our development, the breath becomes shallow, only partially filling our lungs, effectively cutting out huge amounts of potential air intake. The only time that we naturally take deep breaths is when we are on our backs. The reason behind this is the lack of tension in young bodies. Their diaphragms are able to relax and release and give way to that awesome inhalation. This inhibition is probably at the heart of what made my first dynamic media experience, the Texas Instruments 99/4a, so effortless. I wasnt worried about getting it right. I was just having fun. Playing games on the Nintendo were a great opportunity to live fantastical stories and make choices without the threat of recrimination. The same might be said of that first audition as a sophomore in high school: I was in the moment, responding to what I was given and not letting the tensions of life get in the way of creation. How great would it be to revert to that childlike state of carefree wonder? Maybe then we could pursue a life of release and possibilities instead of tension and limitations.
xxxv

INTRODUCTION

SWEETPEA
or, how my dog inspires me
Nine oclock in the evening or close to it. Harness. Retractable leash. Poop bag. Shes at my feet, expectantly following my every move. My shadow. I open the door and she runs down the few steps to the first landing. Ears perked. Eyes wide open. I run down to meet her. I go down a few steps and arrange her accoutrements on the floor. After a brief hard-to-get flirtation, she jumps briefly in the air and I put her little paws through the holes of her blue harness. Click goes the plastic fastener and the leash is quickly attached. At this point there is a moment of pause. Expectation. Hesitation. Anticipation. Suddenly, we are racing down the stairs. Last one is a rotten egg and thats always me. I open the doors and we bound into the brisk night. At the beginning of my second and last year of grad school I found myself busier than usual. The work I had found during the summer was not slowing down and Skeptic, a new design agency formed by several of my classmates, was taking off. There were projects everywhere. I was working with Isaiah King, former classmate in MassArts undergraduate program, on a number of projects, namely a new site for Fabien Cousteau. The Skeptic launch was accompanied by sites for The Clark in the Berkshires and a site for the unesco organization, People Protecting Places. I was helping some friends with materials for a (hopeful) Broadway-bound workshop of a new musical. I had joined the College Arts Association and was diving into the world of college teaching applications. I havent even mentioned school yet. The semester had begun and I was off and running with project work and thesis writing. Keeping all this together has not been a huge struggle, though. What Ive come to realize is that my walks with Sweetpea are my dreaming-wide-awake opportunities. I may take that time to reflect on the day and put things into appropriate buckets. I may make phone calls to discuss a project, or even better, just to chat. I may just daydream around the neighborhood, focusing on nothing in particular but often landing on interesting ideas. Initially, I didnt realize that I was using my walks with Sweetpea. It just happened. It wasnt happening at a desk or even with paper and pen. It was happening on Savin Hill Avenue and on Grampian Way. It was happening in front of Savin Scoop and McKennas. It was happening where I could see trees, hear birds, and greet neighbors. This escape is an incredibly important part of my process and I recommend that every person take 15 minutes to walk around your neighborhood every day. If you can do it with a furry little friend, even better!

TAKING WALKS WITH

TOM STOPPA R D A ND HA PGOOD A ND A RCA R DIA

MISTAKES
Subsequently, the Ahmansons season ticket holders, making up much of Hapgoods L.A. audience, were not there for Stoppard but were simply buying time until they could see Phantom .

PLAYWRIGHT'S

LEARNING FROM A

xl

Portrait of Tom Stoppard. Digital image. Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. <www.boneaubryanbrown.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ Stoppard-Tom.jpg>.

THING HAPPENED

Anne Ubersfeld, in 1982, described the spectator as king of the feast (Carlson 389). It is the audience, after all, who is the object of the acting/singing/dancing on the stage. She noted that the audience performs this activity using all of the given circumstances of the performance eventinstructions given by the text, the performance, the performance situation, and various other sources of audience pleasure. But what happens when the feast is presented without any concern for the audience? I am looking at various ways to enhance theatrical experiences for the audience, but that is with the general assumption that the creators of the performance are making something that the audience wants to partake in. As a point of study, I have chosen to focus on one playwrights journey through a harrowing relationship with his audience. Tom Stoppard is well-known and regarded as a lion of the stage. His first play, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, was a monstrous hit which immediately catapulted him to the halls
INTRODUCTION

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of literary stardom. He has won an Academy Award for writing Shakespeare in Love and four Tony Awards, for Rosencrantz, Travesties, The Real Thing, and The Coast of Utopia.
Despite his success, Stoppard has always had a tenuous relationship with his audience. Much of his work as been described using phrases like too wordy and elitist and too difficult. More often than not, though, his incredible wit and elegance allows enjoyment of his plays on multiple levels. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, for example, is hilarious and utterly enjoyable even if you have no point of reference for the Hamlet references. Shakespeare in Love did not require a complete understand of Romeo and Juliet, though having that knowledge certainly allows a deeper enjoyment of the film.
xlii

In this essay I will look at two of Stoppards plays, one in which he completely neglected his audience and one where he found them again. This study will not only reflect some reasons for the success and failure, but introduce conversations around what could have been improved. Stoppards Hapgood premiered in London in 1988, almost six years after his last new play, The Real Thing, had premiered in 1982. It was his first flop. There are almost no moments in the new play when feeling, synthesis, metaphor and site coincide. Stoppard leaves his homework lying around on stage.It is expertly played as an emotional striptease of boulevard comedy, a style which promises everything but conceals all (Ratcliffe). His friend, actor John Wood, said, He has not experienced the absence of complete international success before (Stoppard and Delaney, 221). It was another five years before he put a play on the boards with Arcadia in 1993. The reaction to this play could not have been more different. Theres no doubt about it. Arcadia is Tom Stoppards richest, most ravishing comedy to date, a play of wit, intellect, language, brio and, new for him, emotion. Its like a dream of levitation: youre instantaneously aloft, soaring, banking, doing loopthe-loops and then, when you think youre about to plummet to earth, swooping to a gentle touchdown of not easily described sweetness and sorrow (Canby).

THING HAPPENED

xliii

Broadway revival of Arcadia . Digital image. Boneau Bryan Brown. N.p., 14 June 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2013. <www.boneaubryanbrown.com/blog/2011/06/ tom-stoppards-arcadia-begins-final-week-of-limited-engagement/>.

In one there is a study in quantum physics and the duality of human nature. In the other is a study of chaos theory and a tragic romance. Hapgood inspired critics to write, It would need a seeing eye dog with A-level physics to guide most of us through what was going on (Nadel 378). Arcadia had critics praising the same playwright for his ability to make an audience believe they know more than they do (Nadel 433). Two plays, each scientifically focused, but with completely opposing levels of success. Looking at the responses to the plays on their first nights and in subsequent productions, a main point of critique or praise is the ability for the audience to understand what is happening on the stage even though each play deals with complex scientific matters and methods.

INTRODUCTION

What changed in those five years? Is Stoppard writing for two different audiences or did he suddenly learn how to write a scientific play? What is the role of the audience in the theatre? The functional relationship between the stage and audience during a performance is where the change happened. These plays and the popular and critical reactions to them will be our point of departure for looking at Tom Stoppard, his audience and what happens between them. Of Hapgood, Stoppard wrote, Nine-tenths of the action was just a metaphor for the world of particle physics. This is what justifies the title characters ability to be both no-nonsense agent and caring mother. Kerner can be a physicist and a government agent. Ridley can be an assistant and a main operative. The contradictions fall completely in line with the interference and probability curves set out by Richard Feynman in The Character of Physical Law. Arcadia, however, to Stoppard, was not about physics, landscape architecture or Byron, but the story, which he called a thriller and a romantic tragedy with jokes (Pennsylvania Gazette). The narrative level is what is fundamenxliv

tal. He even has Septimus tell the audience specifically, This is not science. This is story telling (Stoppard, Arcadia 131). Stoppard felt he had learned plenty about letting the audience in on a trick with Hapgood. You can tell the audience that theyre about to witness a con trick, but they get sucked into the con-mans point of view. You tell them, were going to tell lies to Ridley. Then you set up a scene where everything is being done for Ridleys sake, and its a lie. But the audience seem equally surprised when the rug is pulled out from under him. Theyve gone along with it, although one has told them were going to do it (Stoppard and Gussow 81). The majority of the audience would walk out completely befuddled, confusing Stoppard who thought hed put everything in front of them in as clear and concise a manner as possible. He was fascinated by the science and how the language of espionage lent itself to the duality of human personalitiesand to the wave/particle duality of light (Delaney 180). The failure comes from Stoppards attention on the science. Hapgood appears to be something more akin to a scientific paper: see how we use the wave/particle duality of light as described in quantum theory as a metaphor for human behavior. This would be a welcome discussion in an Intro to Psychology class at mit but is not what could be necessarily called inherently theatrical. Stoppard, however, was very excited to try it: I thought that quantum mechanics and chaos mathematics suggested themselves as quite interesting and powerful

THING HAPPENED

metaphors for human behavior, but about the way, in the latter case, in which it suggested a determined life, a life ruled by determinism, and a life which is subject simply to random causes and effects. Those two ideas about life were not irreconcilable. Chaos mathematics is precisely to do with the unpredictability of determinism. Hifalutin words, but its actually a very fascinating door, a view through a cracked-open door (Gussow 84). What is very interesting to note is that at no point does Stoppard mention a plot. When asked about where the idea for Hapgood came from, he speaks of its basis in mathematics and how the mathematics of physics is based on uncertainties. And if youre me, you thinktheres a play in that. Finding an idea for a play is like picking up a shell on a beach. I started reading about mathematics without finding what I was looking for. In the end I realized that what I was after was something which any first-year physics student is familiar with, namely quantum mechanics. So I started reading about that (Delaney 179). The thought processes that led to Hapgood had nothing to do with espionage or cold war intrigue but only to do with math and science. The spies were brought in later as a decent way to tell a story about wave/particle duality. I thought it was a good metaphor for human personality. The language of espionage lends itself to this dualitythink of the double agent (Delaney 180). Stoppard, himself, acknowledges that he wrote a scientific paper and not an espionage drama. The problem is that most audience members didnt understand what they had been told, even though Stoppard is quite confident that he has given all the information that is needed. Kerner remarks that ... a double agent is more like a trick of the light (Stoppard, Hapgood 500). Stoppard may be convinced that he had given the audience the answers quite early in the play, but these answers are all coded in scientific terms. He is adamant about the fact that the audience has everything it needs. Kerner, later, says I dont understand this mania for surprises. If the author knows, its rude not to tell. In science, the ending is understood: What is interesting is to know what is happening (Stoppard, Hapgood 543). Stoppard even had an aversion to the use of the term whodunnit in connection with Hapgood. An interesting exchange between Stoppard and actor Nigel Hawthorne (who played Blair in the original production) illuminates Stoppards focus on the science instead of the plot. He says that the zoo scene is too much about reactions with an overspill from the physics into the spy story. Furthermore, it seems a bit hurried, especially the
INTRODUCTION

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passage Ridley delivered to my Russian control, I delivered to Ridley. This had to be made utterly clear to the audience. Hawthornes reply hints at some major discomfort in the cast with regard to the play. You seem to be advocating the sacrifice of relationships to theories by telling us that the characters are getting in the way of the physics (Nadel 374). Stoppard truly is more concerned with the science than the personal relationships of the characters. Narrative was getting in the way of his scientific method. The standard audience member who comes into the theatre prepared for a spy thriller by the author of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is not necessarily looking for scientific metaphor to guide their complete understanding of the plot. This reviewers quote appears again: It would need a seeing eye dog with A-level physics to guide most of us through what was going on (in Delaney 193). Reviews like this were nasty wake-up calls for Stoppard, sadly, telling him that his audience didnt get ithe hadnt given us what was needed to understand the plot. Critics were quick to point out that Stoppard
xlvi

was expecting too much of his audience. Plays collapse under the weight of too much information or too much plot. An excess of both these things is what is wrong with Tom Stoppards Hapgood. There is enough information here for a sixth-form lecture on quantum mechanics and enough plot for one novel by John le Carr or two by Len Deighton (King). It was clear that changes needed to happen if Hapgood was to have any success. Rather than moving straight to Broadway, it had an American premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles with a new cast and new director. Stoppard was there throughout rehearsal so that he could rewrite and attend run-throughs. He tried to fix the difficult first scene, in which briefcases are switched around at a bathhouse by inserting a very forward explanation of the proceedings. Okay, Im Wates and you want to know what the hell is going on here. Wates continued to explain, over the course of eight minutes, what was going on. Stoppard found it interminable and unendurable. The speech, though slightly shortened, lasted through the Los Angeles run, but was cut for the second U.S. production in San Francisco (Nadel 382). It is also interesting to note that the Ahmanson audience was not particularly interested in seeing the latest Tom Stoppard play. That season was to be the L.A. premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webbers amazingly successful The Phantom of the Operasomething audiences were clamoring to see. By purchasing season tickets, one would have a greater

THING HAPPENED

chance of scoring seats for the Broadway phenomenon. Subsequently, the Ahmansons season ticket holders, making up much of Hapgoods Los Angeles audience, were not there for Stoppard during Hapgoods run, but were simply buying time until they could see Phantom. They were lost, disinterested and looking forward to something completely different (Nadel 382). Its almost as if Stoppard was angry at the audience. But I resist the idea that ones work contains some kind of cryptogram, he says. Im not trying to make the plays difficult, God help me. Nobody could think that one would just, you know, be mischievous or perverse and try to make life hard for the audience. Its just that one is revolted by having to lay something out and explicate it so badly that it offends ones aesthetic sense (Delaney 228). As perhaps the most plot-driven play in Stoppards oeuvre, however, Hapgood requires some explication and some laying out. Its not the first time that he had been accused of being mystifying or intellectually demanding, and he has no apologies for it, noting that his plays have made him world-famous and wealthy (Delaney 228). Paul Woodruff, in The Necessity of Theatre: The Art of Watching and Being Watched, speaks of the relationship between those on stage and those in the seats. He notes that people around the new stage know how to give it their attention, and the people on stage know how to receive attention. Then the two sides help each other bring off a successful time of watching and being watched. We are speaking of a double art that lights the dark stage (Woodruff 168). In Towards a Poor Theatre, Jerry Grotowski says that theatre is what takes place between spectator and actor. The energy must flow both ways so that the two forces fuse together to create an ecstasy which is comparable only to that experienced in a religious or sexual encounter. He also notes, it must be said, that the audience hangs its brains up in the cloakroom along with its coat (Freshwater 128). Rather than a snide jab at the audience, Grotowski is simply stating a fact that must be considered when creating a performance. Stoppard, it should be noted, is very aware of the special relationship between the stage and the audience. He says, The play has to work. It has to be truthful. The audience must believe (Delaney 183). He talks about a play being nothing without the event of going to a showwhich is the only thing that matters in the theater. A great production of a black comedy is better than a mediocre production of A Comedy of Errors. When the writing is over, the event is the thing (Delaney 180). With Hapgood, it seems that Stoppard was not writing
INTRODUCTION

xlvii

for a usual audiencebut for his preferred group: If I had an ideal spectator it would be someone more sharp-witted and attentive than the average theatergoer (Delaney 186). (He undoubtedly thinks of the average theatergoer in the same way that Grotowski does.) Moreover, he was writing for himself. Looking back at his statements about the genesis of the play one is acutely aware that he came across these topics because he enjoyed reading about them (Delaney 179). He wrote this play with himself as the audience. The actual audience, though, was promised a spy-thriller. A quote on the back cover of the published version promises the reader Tom Stoppards most cunning playa dazzling, double game of physics and espionage. Another describes it as a metaphysical spy-thriller, intricate, elegant, and lucid. What a let down it is, indeed, to discover that you are watching a Stoppardian science paper where the mystery is spoiled in the first scene. Stoppard does not let the audience ever know more than the characters. In fact, he deprives us of a collective a-ha moment by masking the clues within scientific monologues from
xlviii

Kerner. He says that in each of our characters is the working majority of a dual personality, part of which is always there in a submerged state. Like the wave/particle duality of nature, these dual aspects of a personality are not expressed at the same time. (Weber State) If Kerners statements about dual personalities is the key to the audiences understanding of Hapgood, many of them will miss it. They are looking for the mystery, for the intrigue. It is actually summarized beautifully by Kerner, albeit with a different topic in mind. The act of observing determines the reality There is no explanation in classical physics. Somehow light is both wave and particle. The experimenter makes the choice. You get what you interrogate for (Stoppard Hapgood 501). Again, Stoppard acknowledged that in a normal spy thriller you contrive to delude the audience until all is revealed in the denouement (Delaney 181). In Arcadia, a play that he referred to as a mystery (Nadel 433), he allows this moment to happen in a more fruitful way. As one critic noted: Stoppard makes the audience share in his characters ignorance. But there is also a shared ignorance that actually creates a community, particularly in performancereal or imagined. Stoppards audience knows less, but believes more (Martyniuk). The script of Hapgood has been used as a teaching tool for quantum mechanics classes. Certainly some find the play less problematic, enjoying all the twists, turns and physics (TheaterMania). Is there

THING HAPPENED

anything to be done, though, for the majority of audiences? Certainly a modicum of preparation would be welcome. Instead of selling the show as a spy thriller one might find ways to establish the correct context. If Stoppards intent was to tell the audience the solution to the mystery at the beginning of the play, that idea could be taken to the lobby or other pre-show dramaturgical and marketing efforts. Post-show discussions could be led by professors at a local university. Lobby displays could be decorated with illustrated versions of the required theorems. The lobby could also have interactive installations that allows users to experience, first-hand, some lessons from Physics 101. Actor headshots could be arranged in a way that cleverly puts forth any ideas about multiple identities and/or personalities. The response to Arcadia was as opposed to that of Hapgood as could be. Henry Hitchens, in The Evening Standard, noted that Tom Stoppards Arcadia is that rare thing, a toothsome entertainment that also thrills us with a dozen strange thoughts before bedtime. The play isif this synopsis leaves any doubtcurious, sophisticated and killingly funny. Matt Wolf of The New York Times says, Like the realization of a dream deferred in which everything we hope for from the theater is in one three-hour experience exhilaratingly made flesh Robert Gore-Langton of The Independent implored If you want a seriously brainy whodunnit, look no further than Tom Stoppards Arcadia (The Complete Review). Rather than befuddling his audience, Stoppard was encouraging learning. During the original run at Londons National Theatre, script sales set an all-time record. The audience was interested in reading the script themselves, wanting to see if they could get a better understand of the science in the play. This doesnt show that they were disheartened by their lack of understanding of the information, but simply wanted to understand the play a bit more (Wimp). Some part of the change is due to the fact that the genesis of the play was completely different. Stoppard remembered thinking something could be done with the supposed difference between or conflict between the romantic and the classical. As soon as those two keywords were thought of, I thought of poetry or architecture, landscape architecture, landscape gardening (Kelley and Demastes). He also understands that the main draw of the play is in the narrative. In addition, Stoppard introduces us to the plays scientific ideas through the eyes of young Thomasina Coverly who is studying with her tutor, Septimus Hodge. In the first scene, she is challenged to solve
xlix

INTRODUCTION

Fermats Last Theorem and begins so by questioning why the jam in rice pudding can never be unstirred. Septimus, the spoonful of jam spreads itself around making red trails like the picture of a meteor in my astronomical atlas. But if you stir backward, the jam will not come together again. Indeed, the pudding does not notice and continues to turn pink just as before. Do you think this is odd?... Well, I do. You cannot stir things apart. Septimus replies that time must needs run backwards, and since it will not, we must stir our way onward mixing as we go, disorder out of disorder into disorder until pink is complete, unchanging and unchangeable, and we are done with it for ever. This is known as free will or self-determination (Stoppard, Arcadia 12). In this scene, Stoppard has set up a different dynamic from Hapgood. Rather than preaching at his audiencesee Watess speech in the

la revisionwe get to learn at the same time as Thomasina. Her fascination becomes ours and we learn as she does. In this way Stoppard makes us think we know more than we do. We immediately trust

Thomasina and Hodge, allowing us to accompany them on a journey

l

of complex ideas through dramatic structure, language and character. As stated in The Guardians review of a 2002 London revival, This is one Stoppard drama that you dont have to be Einstein to understandyou can feel it as well as think it (Gardner). Arcadia is filled with references to entropy, the second law of thermodynamics and population biologyseemingly more scientific ideas than Hapgood could dream ofmixed with a murder mysterywhy did Byron have to leave the country?and the aforementioned conflict between the classical and romantic (Wimp). It has probably set a record for the amount of information given to an audience through exposition through jokes and sexual innuendo. Actually, it is not just storytelling, it is science and storytelling beautifully equaled, as balanced as an equation. Stoppard said, I feel for once that I stumbled on to a really good narrative idea. Arcadia has got a classical kind of story and, whether we are writing about science or French maids, this whole thing is about story-telling first and foremost (Nadel 442). The audience is also given opportunities to feel superior to those on the stage through the story of the hermit of Sidley Park. We witness Hannahs detective work into this mysterious hermit while we know, all along, that the only proof of his existence is marginalia left by Thomasina. This drawing was not a documentary moment, but just a visual joke for the young lady. Stoppard has remarked that just at the point the audience thinks it can guess whats coming next, you have

THING HAPPENED

to fool them (Nadel 442). In the final moments of the scene, we are watching the lovely Septimus and Thomasina dance while we learn from Hannah and Gus that Septimus is indeed the hermit, driven to a life of solitude by his grief at Thomasinas death. The audience is fooled yet again by Stoppard, but the romance of the moment and the properly arrived at a-ha moment dont make us feel unintelligent, but simply that weve been told a good, heart-breaking story. If Hapgood could benefit from audience outreach before a performance, would Arcadia? One may benefit with some visual understanding of English gardens, perhaps in the form of a series of displays in the lobby. If space is available, small replicas of the types of gardens could be installed outside. An interactive installation could help explain the ideas of entropy. A pre-show scavenger hunt (online or in real life) could get people thinking about the act of research and archaeology. These efforts may not be as necessary for Arcadia, but they may bring new understanding to the audiences experience. Arcadia is not necessarily about intellectual heft, but it can be for the right audience. In his essay for American Art, Why Arts Education and Science Education Need Each Other, Alan J. Friedman writes, My tool kit has been wonderfully enriched by Tom Stoppards play Arcadia. It is a romantic tale of two eras, but it is also a deeply moving evocation of genius, mathematics, and chaos theory. Stoppards Hapgood may provide a similar aid to teaching quantum physics, but I didnt cry at the end, as I did each of the three times I saw Arcadia (Friedman 2). The failure of Hapgood undoubtedly taught Stoppard about his relationship with the audience. He may have continued to write densely arranged scenes with a variety of theatrical trickery but he found the importance of narrative as the important part of a theatre-going experience. Instead of audiences feeling like they were sitting through a homework assignment, they were romanced into his unique world of science and art. He finally became a proper steward into his own mind, guiding the audience through the use of effective storytelling down his deep well of theatrical experiments.
li

INTRODUCTION

SPECIAL T PULL-OUN! SECTIO

FROM A R ISTOTL E TO 4 2 N D STR EET

lii

WATCHER WATCHED
AND THE

THE

A Timeline of the Theatre Audience

FISH MCGILL
DIAGRAMS BY

for the Completely Uninitiated

DRAWINGS BY

JO MIELZINER

THING HAPPENED

EXPERIENCE ENHANCERS
My research included looking at state-ofthe-art audience interaction and theory. Originally, I focused on work that theatres were doing with audience experience and development, but found myself also inspired by the work done by a few design firms. I have compiled this work under the header of Experience Enhancers because, while they are fantastic pieces on their own, they are all in the service of a larger event. Throughout this book you'll find examples of some of the most inspiring work.

experience enhancers

THING HAPPENED

GENES@CO-OP
2 4 As part of the relaunch of the Co-op on the 8th floor of their flagship store, Barney's worked with 24 to design a digital banquet table in a new interactive caf (24 website). At this communal table, one is seated at a screen, which is one of 28 total screens that act independently and as a group. Together, the screens form a river of data that flows down the table. The data is made of articles from the Barneys blog, advertising, photography and more, which seems to create a fun way of browsing the Barneys universe. You can tap on an item as it floats past and it expands in an overlay that you can read, scroll, zoom and more. RYou could purchase items you see directly from the display. As part of the Barneys caf, the tables also allow you to order food and beverages. What initially drew me to this piece was the striking visual of this long screen-topped table in a stark environment. It is a fantastic invitation: there's a chair for everyone! But instead of calling to mind a family-style eating experience at a Shaker village, this retains a certain Barneys-ness. In this environment, it has a sleek and sophisticated seriousness that is completely appropriate for Barneys New York. The response from the general public has been positive. The Fashion Spot praised it as especially convenient for diners dining alone (Feiereisen). gq said, The future is here, and it's eight floors up at one of nyc's most recognizable retail landmarks (Hotchkiss). Inventing it isn't the most inventive piece of technology ever experienced, it is simple and novel while not distracting you from the conversations had around the table (Young). This last point is especially important to consider. When dynamic media is integrated into existing experiences it must know where it stands. This is a table in a caf at Barneys. It does not need to take over the room or become the focus of our attention. The goal is, simply, to enhance our caf and shopping experiences.
Photos (opposite) Chang, Eric. N.d. Photograph. Photos of Genes@co-op Table. Haberdasher Standard. June 2012. Web. <www.haberdasherstandard. com/2012/06/genes-co-op-cafeat-barneys.html>. (next pages) Stills from Touch Screen Banquet Table for Genes@co-op Cafe Barneys New York. Vimeo. N.p., Jan. 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. <https:// vimeo.com/54295106>. 7

Interactive described it as remarkably restrained noting that, though

experience enhancers

THING HAPPENED

experience enhancers

10

THING HAPPENED

SHA K ESPEA R E DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BOR ING

BARD BEAT
DOWN
Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou? Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears, Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune A pound of flesh Goodnight sweet prince.
11

The Bard Beat Down

Previous: Photography of the 2nd folio of Shakespeare. The Bibliophile's Lair. The Bibliophiles Lair rss. N.p., 3 May 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2013. <commons.trincoll.edu/ watkinson/2012/05/03/watkinson-acquires-2nd-folio-1632-of-shakespeare/>.

INTRODUCTION

Are people more familiar with Shakespeare than they tend to believe? Even though initial introductions to his work may have been painful, most people with a high school education have a slight awareness of what Shakespeare is. He still plays a major part in popular culture, with either quotes from his plays or entire plots living on in modern television and film. With the captive audience of my classmates I decided to find out.

13

The Bard Beat Down

ACT ONE
OPENING OUT OF TOWN I started by asking my classmates what they knew about Shakespeare. No one said anything. There was a tacit statement that this was completely uncharted territory for them. So, I backed up and asked, perhaps sarcastically, if anyone had ever heard of William Shakespeare? Everyone had, of course. I asked if anyone had ever seen one of his plays performed? Only a few hands went up. Had anyone ever read one of the plays? Very few hands went up. I followed up by asking, you mean, you never had to read one of his plays in a high school English class? All hands went up. There were exclamations of, but I don't remember anything and that was so long ago! And that is where we started. I explained the rules of the Exquisite Corpse game we would play. Paper was distributed and everyone was asked to find a writing utensil. The paper was folded into an accordion, with 5 folds. The participants were instructed to write down one line of Shakespearean text any14

thing they could think of. Once completed, they folded their papers to hide what they had written and passed the paper to the left. On the next panel, they wrote another phrase. The papers were passed around until all the panels were filled and were returned to the original writer. When the accordions were unfolded we were treated to a wacky Shakespearean monologue-of-sorts. We went around the room and read the speeches aloud.

Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou? Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears, Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune A pound of flesh Goodnight sweet prince.
The monologues didn't mean anything but the exercise definitely proved a couple of things. First, the shear quantity and variety of lines was astounding especially for a group of people who claimed complete Shakespearian ignorance. I wasn't the only person surprised by this they were impressed by themselves and each other by what they were able to recall.

THING HAPPENED

Hey, Amanda Bynes fans! Did you know that one of her movies is adapted from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night? Check out this list and see where your favorite movies came from.

SHAKESPEAREAN
f f f f f

SURPRISINGLY

KISS ME, KATE THE SHREW FORBIDDEN PLANET THE TEMPEST

THE TAMING OF

WEST SIDE

15

STORY

ROMEO & JULIET

RAN

STRANGE BREW

HAMLET HAMLET
THE SHREW
THE TAMING OF

THE LION KING

O

SCOTLAND,PA
SHE'S THE MAN
The Bard Beat Down

OTHELLO
TWELFTH NIGHT

Thou tottering roughhewn harpy! 3

Thou memmering claybrained strumpet! 3

swagbellied deathtoken! 3

Thou churless atkidneyed vassal! 3

Thou beslubbering dreadbolted lout! 3

Thou yeasty toadspotted vas 3

Thou ruttish nottypated clotpole! 3

16

Thou venomed tardygaited dewberry! 3

Thou warped clapperclawe puttock! 3

Thou loggerheaded heepbiting baggage! 3

Thou reeky poxmarked lewdster! 3

Thou droning sheepbiting codp 3

Thou reeky dismaldreaming mumblenews! 3

THING HAPPENED

Thou dissembling motleyminded hornbreast! 3

Thou jarring ticklebrained flaxwench! 3

d !
ACT 2
MOVING INTO A NEW SPACE So, what to do with this research? What did I learn? By presenting Shakespeare as a part of a game, I lowered the bar of entry to his plays and language. It was not about stodgy lines of iambic pentameter, but it was something more fun. The Exquisite Corpse Monologues were silly nonsensical and fun to think about. I spent some time reading about why people dont like Shakespeare. Honestly, it was difficult to find concrete reasons that were more than juvenile complaints about homework. Maybe I could latch on to something childish, I thought. What is there in Shakespeare that would appeal to Joe Six Pack? The answer jumped forward and screamed in my face: insults. It is very easy to pull a pile of Shakespearean words and make them into sassy comebacks. For example, in As You Like It we have: Your brain is as dry as the remainder biscuit after a voyage. Or, from Macbeth: You do unbend your noble strength, to think So brainsickly of things. I decided to make a paper version of the famous Shakespeare Insult Kit. The first version was a series of calling cards, with a simple typographic treatment of one insult on a small card. These could be handed out on a whim. What was missing, though, was the ability to make your own insult or just to see the plethora of words available. So, rather than pre-printed cards with chosen insults, I decided to make a form to fill out that was similar to a traffic ticket. Thus was born The Bard Beat Down.

y ssal!

d ed

A COLLECTION OF BEAT DOWNS

Thou saucy fly-bitten wagtail! Thou froward rump-ref scut! Thou rank fly-bitten baggage! Thou rank dread-bolted harpy! Thou rank fool-born whey-face! Thou puking spur-galled lout! Thou craven bat-fowling harpy! Thou saucy hedge-born scut! Thou rank fool-born flirt-gill! Thou reeky idle-headed lout! Thou craven beef-witted scut! Thou fobbing fly-bitten lout! Thou spongy rough-hewn lout! Thou artless fen-sucked lout! Thou yeasty bat-fowling lout! Thou spleeny folly-fallen scut! Thou vain beef-witted gudgeon! Thou bawdy crook-pated giglet! Thou puking fly-bitten flirt-gill! Thou rank rough-hewn giglet! Thou currsh pottle-deep giglet! Thou jarring milk-livered lout! Thou errant onion-eyed scut! Thou rank hasty-witted pignut! Thou vain full-forged joithead! Thou craven pottle-deep lout!

ACT 3
FINAL PRODUCTION Bard Beat Down is an introduction to Shakespeare but one that is quite the opposite of being forced to read Romeo and Juliet as a sophomore in high school. It is a light-hearted entry into Shakespearean language in which any perceived pomp and circumstance is stripped from the proceedings. The audience is left with an analog interaction: share an insult created from the seemingly bizarre words from The Bard's plays. The technology is simple: a piece of paper and a writing utensil. The interface asks the audience to fill in the blanks to complete an insult. Thou ! To complete the phrases, one uses the check boxes to select from a list of words.
Experience Enhancement

g piece!

g d

S H A K E S PE A R E

INSULT KIT
THOU ART A(N)
Heres your chance to make a first impression. These adjectives are the opening salvo. r artless r bawdy r beslubbering r churless r cockered r clouted r craven r dankish r dissembling r errant r fawning r fobbing r frothy r goatish r impertinent r infectious r jarring r loggerheaded r lumpish r memmering r mangled r mewling r paunchy r pribbling r puking r puny r qualling r rank r roguish r ruttish r spongy r unmuzzled r vain r venomed r villainous r warped r wayward r weedy r yeasty

SHAKES

INSUL
THOU ART A(N)
r artless r bawdy r beslubbering r churless r cockered r clouted r craven r dankish r dissembling r errant r fawning r fobbing r frothy r goatish r jarring

Heres your chance to make a first impressio

r impertin

r infectiou

r loggerhe

r lumpish

r memme

r mangled

r mewling

r paunchy r puking r puny

r pribblin

AND
Second adjective: now you mean business. This aint yo mommas Hamlet. r base-court r beef-witted r beetle-headed r boil-brained r clay-brained r crook-pated r dizzy-eyed r doghearted r dread-bolted r earth-vexing r elf-skinned r fat-kidneyed r fen-sucked r flap-mouthed r fly-bitten r folly-fallen r fool-born r guts-griping r half-faced r hasty-witted r hedge-born r hell-hated r idle-headed r ill-breeding r ill-nurtured r knotty-pated r milk-livered r motley-minded r onion-eyed r plume-plucked r pottle-deep r pox-marked r rough-hewn r rude-growing r rump-ref r shard-borne r sheep-biting r spur-galled r swag-bellied r tardy-gaited r tickle-brained r toad-spotted r unchin-snouted r weather-bitten

AND
Second adjective: now you mean business. r base-court r beef-witted r beetle-headed r boil-brained r clay-brained r crook-pated r dizzy-eyed r doghearted r dread-bolted r earth-vexing r elf-skinned r fat-kidneyed r fen-sucked r flap-mouthed r fly-bitten

r folly-fall

r fool-bor

r guts-grip

r half-face

r hasty-wi

r hedge-b

r hell-hate

r idle-hea

r ill-breed

r ill-nurtu

r knotty-p

r milk-live

r motley-m

r onion-ey

r plume-p

This is your final chance. Pick one of these nouns to really hit the ball out of the park. r apple-john r baggage r barnacle r boar-pig r bugbear r bum-bailey r canker-blossom r clack-dish r coxcomb r codpiece r death-token r dewberry r flap-dragon r flax-wench r foot-licker r giglet r gudgeon r haggard r harpy r hedge-pig r horn-breast r hugger-mugger r lewdster r lout r maggot-pie r mammet r measle r miscreant r moldwarp r mumble-news r nut-hook r pigeon-egg r puttock r pumpion r scut r skainsmate r strumpet r varlot r whey-face r wagtail

This is your final chance. Pick one of these n r apple-john r baggage r barnacle r boar-pig r bugbear r bum-bailey r canker-blossom r clack-dish r coxcomb r codpiece r death-token r dewberry r flap-dragon r flax-wench r foot-licker r giglet

r gudgeon r harpy

r haggard

r hedge-p

r horn-bre

r hugger-m r lout

r lewdster

r maggotr measle

r mamme

r miscrean

r moldwar

r mumble

BARDBEA TDOWN.COM LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE

BARDBEA TDOWN.C

ssembling rant wning bbing othy

r mewling r paunchy r pribbling r puking r puny

r villainous r warped r wayward r weedy r yeasty

AND
r folly-fallen r fool-born r guts-griping r half-faced r hasty-witted r hedge-born r hell-hated r idle-headed r ill-breeding r ill-nurtured r knotty-pated r milk-livered r motley-minded r onion-eyed r plume-plucked r pottle-deep

d adjective: now you mean business. This aint yo mommas Hamlet.

se-court ef-witted etle-headed oil-brained ay-brained ook-pated zzy-eyed oghearted ead-bolted rth-vexing f-skinned t-kidneyed n-sucked p-mouthed y-bitten

r pox-marked

r rough-hewn r rump-ref

r rude-growin

r shard-borne r spur-galled

r sheep-biting

r swag-bellied

r tardy-gaited

r tickle-braine

r toad-spotted

r unchin-snou

r weather-bitt

Upon completion of the task, the paper may be handed to a friend or to an enemy. It could be handed to someone while walking down the street. It could be placed on car windshields. It could be tucked in a library book to be found by a stranger in the future.

ACT 4
CONCLUSIONS AND MOVING FORWARD The simple interaction of Bard Beat Down is its saving grace. I'm not talking just about the paper/pen format, but the easy action of filling in a check box. More often than not, though, the form wasn't used as a form, but was simply read as a list. Many users just wanted to read the list of funny words and move on. According to the simplest of objectives for the piece, that would be considered a success. Bard Beat Down has possibilities for future expansion. I've started to look at the idea in various forms. I've tested out Tumblr and Twitter
20

feeds (see images) and have started building an iPhone app. In the app, the user will simply shake the phone to pull up a random insult. Once the insult has been chosen, the user can choose to post to Twitter or Facebook or email it to someone. In addition, there will be a glossary where one can learn the true meanings of the words and see how they are used in the actual plays. Of all my projects, this one seems to be received as the most playful and this playfulness is a major part of its success. For the right interaction for the right piece at the right time, a light-heartedness is definitely key.

THING HAPPENED

21

Experience Enhancement

22

THING HAPPENED

STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY

DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE Jean is sleepwalking through her life until she answers a dead mans cell phone. It turns out to be a wake-up call that sends her on a date with the dead mans brother, a drinking binge with his wife, and a mysterious rendezvous with his mistress. Not to mention trips to the afterlife and the black market. In this quirky modern adventure, Jean re-connects to her own spirit and learns that life is for the living. (Steppenwolf website) For their 2008 production of Sarah Ruhl's Dead Man's Cell Phone, Steppenwolf Theatre company experimented with some exciting and unique audience development experiences. First, they created an outside-the-theatre umbrella ballet. Moving throughout Chicago's Millenium Park, a team of dancers created expressive and exciting dance. The costumes matched and everyone was carrying a large red umbrella. This choice mirrored the use of umbrellas-as-metaphor in the production. It was not quite a flash mob but was directly tied to the artistic expression of the production. The second piece was in lobby during performances. Three playwrights were invited to submit short voicemail plays which were recorded by the actors. In the lobby, the audience was presented with a wall of cell phones. If they picked one up and listened, they'd hear this short play made entirely of voicemails. Beyond the direct connection to the title of the play, this interaction allowed the audience to experience the exact same mystery and intrigue experienced by the play's main character. Part of Steppenwolf's mission is to build a deep relationship with their audience. They pride themselves on their pre- and post-show talkbacks and their popular blog articles but these experiences seem to fly below the radar of general show documentation. Pictures are available online, but no process or conceptual writing is present. (My phone call to the marketing staff went unanswered.) Even with just the basic ideas of these interventions available, it is clear the Steppenwolf is a leader of audience development in the American Theatre.
23

experience enhancers

24

THING HAPPENED

CR EATING A N ECOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION

SPEAKEASY STAGE
COMPANY
What if it was called The Roar? Julie loved it.
25
An Ecology of Communication

26

Previous: Artwork developed author for the SpeakEasy Roar. A by the THING HAPPENED

PROLOGUE

When does a performance begin? It begins the minute we hear the name of the show. Opinions and expectations begin to form that early in our experience, whether we know it or not. If a production is introduced to a possible audience through its visual identity, that visual identity must be clear, specific and correct. Remembering what Bonita Roche said, [a show] begins from its first advertisement and continues well past the time the audience has physically left the theater.

27

An Ecology of Communication

ACT 1
EVERYTHING SPEAKS Because of my work at some local theatres, I was approached by Julie Otis, development director at SpeakEasy Stage Company. She had seen and loved my gala invitation designs for New Repertory Theatre and wanted to collaborate on some of SpeakEasy's fundraising outreach. We met for coffee and immediately hit it off. I spent the 2010-2011 season working with Julie on development materials. I focused our conversations on the messages behind the pieces instead of the final visuals. We talked about conceptual ideas almost exclusively in our conversations. Julie was open to the idea that it didn't matter what color the word is if the word itself is wrong. At the beginning of this process I asked Julie for a SpeakEasy style guide. Were there standards to follow? A color palette? A basic typographic structure? Cue laughter. No, she said. Just do whatever you want and put the logo on it. It was shocking to me that there was no coherent structure to the visual language of a theatre of this size. Reflecting on the work I'd seen there, I can't say that I was surprised to be told this. While there was a certain SpeakEasy look it was far from a consistent and thoughtfully designed system. SpeakEasy contracted me to create consistency across all the departmentsto revitalize their visuals. One of the big statements I made at this meeting was that brand consistency was not just about what the words look like, but what the words are saying. We needed to discover the brand personality and, since I was sitting at a table with the entire staff, I thought I would turn this launch into our first brainstorming meeting. I asked, How would you define SpeakEasy? The answers were quick and energized: bold, intimate, engaging, strong, professional, local, community-driven, friendly. We worked hard to not define ourselves by making comparisons to other theaters. It is always easiest to say that you're better than other people but it's harder to define the actual reasons why. I always find it best to approach brainstorms with the most positive of mindsets. A process that begins stuck in the mire of negativity will always end the same way. The first rule of improv is to always say, Yes, and. Looking at the brainstorming process as an improvisational exercise, why would we not have the same rule? Yes, and allows
29

An Ecology of Communication

us to look forward. Negativity is about staying in the same place or moving backward. It's interesting that this acting rule rarely makes it to the administrative side of the business. Our conversation stayed light and positive, though, through my leadership. I instructed that the words they used to describe themselves would be our new criteria for all SpeakEasy materials. Everything speaks, I informed them, and if anything was put into the world that didn't adhere to our new criteria we would be sending out the wrong message. We talked about the possibilities of some of the materialsthe whole group was enthusedand I was sent home with a pile of their old materials. Bold. Intimate. Engaging. Professional. These words were in my head as a sifted through their old marketing pieces. Rather than exciting words, these pieces would be better defined as conservative, stodgy, old-fashioned and amateur. They were really the exact opposite of the image that SpeakEasy should be conveying. And this is where it
30

dawned on me. What I needed to help SpeakEasy with was how to prepare audiences for their shows. On one hand, it was a marketing question. How could they hope to reach young Boston audiences if the visual language is old and stodgy? On the other hand, the visuals of the show were actually selling the wrong show. Their Next To Normal artwork depicted a house with some color gradients. Does this, first, make me want to see the show? Second, does it actually prepare me for a rock opera about mental illness? Absolutely not. That show is all about heightened emotions and dangerous circumstances. It is a show that screams at the audience, both literally and figuratively. My contract with SpeakEasy for this season stated that I would be using the previously created artwork to develop a new template for posters and postcards. When I saw this artwork, though, I was disappointed and worried. The show artwork should be as bold, brash and confident as SpeakEasy is. With the artwork theres an opportunity to be active: we can cajole, shock, entice, incite. As the productions do, the visual representation should have a point of view. In the end, I needed to create a completely new set of images for the shows. Stronger choices for the artwork will make for stronger materials. Postcards should stand out in the mail and posters need to grab the attention of passers-by around town. As far as the templates for these materials, we needed to clarify the hierarchy between the ticket buying and general information. Throughout, the typography needed to be tidy and clean and work

THING HAPPENED

well with the space. The template needed to work with any color, any artwork, and at any time. Finally, this poster template would be the first piece in our season-long brand alignment and would set the tone for future materials. I presented SpeakEasy with several options for a basic template, each was the hierarchical structure. Would the dates, the url, or the logo be the most prominent piece of the template? We chose the first option, letting the date be the most prominent piece, followed by the website. Across all of SpeakEasy's posters, information is now consistently presented. The main focus of this first presentation, though, was a discussion about artwork. I presented the original artwork in the templates, but then showed how much more effective everything could be with new designs. The immediate reaction was ecstatic. They were absolutely thrilled with the bolder, stronger direction that everything was taking.
31

meeting the criteria that we had decided on. The main difference

An Ecology of Communication

ORIGINAL

WHAT'S THE SHOW ABOUT?

The emo rock-infused tale of Americas first maverick president who kicked British butt, shafted the Indians, and smacked down the Spaniards.

REDESIGN

History just got all sexy pants.

OCT 19NOV 17
SPEAKEASYSTAGE.COM
SPEAKEASY STAGE COMPANY IS THE STANFORD CALDERWOOD PAVILION RESIDENT THEATRE COMPANY AT THE BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS.
PERFORMING AT THE AT THE BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 527 TREMONT ST IN THE SOUTH END

BOX OFFICE

BOSTONTHEATRESCENE.COM

617/

933-8600

Stanford Calderwood Pavilion

ORIGINAL

OTHER DESERT CITIES

WHAT'S THE SHOW ABOUT?

Other Desert Cities tells the story of a family where secrets are currency and everyone is rich. A novelist returns home at Christmas to announce that she is publishing a memoir which will dredge up a tragic family eventa wound her parents do not want reopened.

REDESIGN

BY

DIRECTED BY

JON ROBIN BAITZ

SCOTT EDMISTON
BOX OFFICE

JAN 11FEB 9
Stanford Calderwood Pavilion

BOSTONTHEATRESCENE.COM

SPEAKEASYSTAGE.COM
PERFORMING AT THE AT THE BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 527 TREMONT ST IN THE SOUTH END

617/

933-8600

SPEAKEASY STAGE COMPANY IS THE STANFORD CALDERWOOD PAVILION RESIDENT THEATRE COMPANY AT THE BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS.

ORIGINAL

CLYBOURNE

PARK

WHAT'S THE SHOW ABOUT?

Inspired by Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun, Clybourne Park is an insightful and incisive comedy about race relations and real estate. In 1959, a community is up in arms over the first black family to buy a house on their block. Fifty years later, the neighborhood has changed around the house, but the anxieties are all too familiar.

REDESIGN

BY

BRUCE NORRIS

DIRECTED BY

M. BEVIN OGARA

12 BES N Y WIN T PL NER AY!

TO

20

MARCH 130
PERFORMING AT THE AT THE BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 527 TREMONT ST IN THE SOUTH END

BOX OFFICE

BOSTONTHEATRESCENE.COM

SPEAKEASYSTAGE.COM
SPEAKEASY STAGE COMPANY IS THE STANFORD CALDERWOOD PAVILION RESIDENT THEATRE COMPANY AT THE BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS.

617/

933-8600

Stanford Calderwood Pavilion

ORIGINAL

IN
THE

HEIGHTS

WHAT'S THE SHOW ABOUT?

Winner of four 2008 Tony Awards including Best Musical, In The Heights is a potent reminder of the importance of chasing ones dreams and finding where you belong. Set in New Yorks Washington Heights neighborhood, this exuberant show spices up traditional Broadway rhythms with hip hop, salsa, and rap to tell the stories of the passionate residents of this close-knit Latin community.

REDESIGN

nd a a r i M nuel a es d M u n H i L a egrl A a r Quia

S & LY R IC M U S IC Y BOOK B BY

ED BY ult aignea Paul D ell IO N BY DI RE CT s conn e M US IC AL m a j as nichol DI RE CT

sousa larry
CH OR EO

GR AP HE

D BY

MAY 10JUNE 8
SPEAKEASYSTAGE.COM
SPEAKEASY STAGE COMPANY IS THE STANFORD CALDERWOOD PAVILION RESIDENT THEATRE COMPANY AT THE BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS.
PERFORMING AT THE AT THE BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 527 TREMONT ST IN THE SOUTH END

BOX OFFICE

BOSTONTHEATRESCENE.COM

617/

933-8600

Stanford Calderwood Pavilion

BRANDING
Branding and marketing play as much of a part in our experience of an event as anything else we may encounter. Each and every audience touch point is an opportunity to say something about the show and to manage expectations. Broadway, the home of American commercial theatre, greatly understands this and is often able to put it to great use. SpotCo, the premiere theatrical marketing agency in New York, has been energizing the industry since 1996 with their now-iconic designs for Rent and the still-playing revival of Chicago. Rent could never have been sold as a slick piece of entertainment. SpotCo's design captured the gritty essence of the show with the same authenticity that made the show so appealing. The logo was
40

THEATRE

made using stencils and spray paintin a way that one might imagine

THING HAPPENED

the characters of the show doing. The photography and collage present a genuine and heartfelt sense of community within a gritty dangerous world. Within the poster is a sense of collectability for the fans, and details of character and story that allow it to be stared at for hours without losing interest. It was a fresh stroke of rawness in a theatre world dominated by the corporate marketing for shows like Cats and Phantom of the Opera. Chicago carried many of the same traits as Rent, but with the magical gloss of a high-fashion magazine spread. As SpotCo says, they wanted to prepare audiences for what they were going to see: a stark, elegant production where the dancers, music and story are the stars. The artwork was sexyovertly sexyand was an obvious response to the Disney-fication of Broadway that had begun with the cleaning up of 42nd Street and Times Square in the mid-1990s. Chicago was putting a strong foot forward and claiming ground as the musical for adults on Broadway.
41

An Ecology of Communication

INTERMISSION
COSTUME CHANGE: FREELANCE PROJECT TO CASE STUDY It was around this point in the process that I realized that this little freelance project actually fell right in line with my thesis work. Within this brand alignment process at SpeakEasy, I realized there were real opportunities to push the envelope for marketing communications in Boston theatre. Julie Otis got in touch in late 2012 to discuss the upcoming gala. Julie is a fabulous collaborator and I was excited to see what she had in mind this year.

ACT TWO
THE ROAR Julie and I met at a coffee shop to discuss SpeakEasys 2013 Gala. And the first thing she said to me was, Were not calling it a gala. They didnt want to do the same old traditional sit-down-and-eat-chicken
42

event. Most people, she said, didnt ever talk about that part of the night. SpeakEasy prides itself on having the theatre party of the seasonmany Boston actors attend, usually with their tickets subsidized or underwritten by sponsors and donors. For 2013, Julie and the crew at SpeakEasy decided to create a speakeasy. They wanted a fun, sassy, raucous night. The venue was changing from the Westin to the Mandarin Orientala definite step upand they felt like it would be a great opportunity to make some adjustments and heighten the energy of the event. When Julie asked what I thought of the event, I said that it sounded awesome. I followed that with, I mean, youll have to completely own the idea. What I meant was that they couldnt just call it a speakeasy and put up some beaded curtains. It couldnt be just a vague approximation of a speakeasy, but it should be a completely immersive experience. The audience should really feel like theyve entered another time. The entire event needs to be specific and precise. We talked about Sleep No More, the Punchdrunk production presented in Brookline at the Old Lincoln School by the American Repertory Theater. That was an immersive environment to aspire to and provided great inspiration from its 1930s setting. Obviously, holding the event in the ballroom of a hoity-toity hotel would create some limitations, but I emphasized that all points of the experience should be as genuine as possible.

THING HAPPENED

We talked about events like the White Picnic, an invite-only party where you only find out the details of the picnic just before it happens and everyone must wear white clothes. Theres an element of mystery and of insider-ness that is very engaging for the audience. The entire experience is heightened because youve held back information. It is very much like the mystery and intrigue surrounding Sleep No More, where you are thrown into a wild world without a road map and are left to discover everything on your own. Julie brought up a really interesting question: what should the event be called? Since this was going to be a completely different type of event, they couldnt just use the same unoriginal name theyd been using for years, SpeakEasys Annual Gala. This time we needed something special, different, and original. We went through a pile of slightly obvious options like SpeakEasys Speakeasy and The Party but nothing was speaking to us. I asked, What if we make up an entirely new thing. I thought that we needed a name that sounded active and lively. Maybe we could find a verb and turn it into a noun. As a brainstorming tool, I found a 1920s slang dictionary online to use for inspiration. These are some of the names we came up with The Bees Knees, The Bootleggers Ball, The Beat, and The Cats Pajama Party. As we researched, we kept seeing the phrase The Roaring 20s. There wasnt a webpage without it somewhere. I kept seeing that phrase and suddenly I had the word roar stuck in my head and it was always accompanied by a visual of a room of people having a blast. The sound that came from that room was a roar. A dancing flapper might be letting out a roar. The band would be roaring. What if it was called The Roar? Julie loved it. The conversation then moved to more standard fare like Save the Date cards and invitations. In previous years they had done the expected save the date postcard followed by an invitation and reply card in the mail. And they were expecting to do the same this year. I jumped quickly to change the direction. Is that the way that you are told about a speakeasy? Obviously not. Speakeasies were secret. They were dangerous. You had to be in-the-know. What was dangerous about a save-the-date postcard? Or an invitation cut from the default invitation tree? I put forward the idea that we could try something different. My immediate thought was that we needed to own the idea that our Roar would be kept in the dark for a bit. We didnt need to start by just talking about it and giving away all the fun.
An Ecology of Communication

43

I wanted to play with the idea that we would tell you about the Roar by hiding it from you. What if, instead of a save-the-date card, you just got a tiny slip of paper with a date on it? No other information. What if we made some special ones on wooden nickels that could be passed around from person to person? Instead of just trying to sell the event in the traditional way, we could take this immersive experience and make the marketing a part of it.

ACT THREE
SELLING THE ROAR The final plan for marketing The Roar came down to just a few simple items: a teaser card, a teaser website, a wooden nickel, an invitation and the patrons ticket. The teaser card is taking the place of the standard save the date card and needed to be handed out in large numbers. They were made
44

available to the audiences for SpeakEasys Other Desert Cities and Clybourne Park and included in all sorts of mailers. Because of these requirements, we opted to do a simple business card-sized piece. But, in keeping with the secretive speakeasy mood, the cards are very listed url, which takes the audience to a teaser website. simple and only give away a little information. The call-to-action is the

The wooden nickels are a unique and tangible keepsake for The Roar. Rather than using a more cost-effective plastic coin, these wooden discs speak to a time gone by. (We also bypass the chance of drawing a connection to a casino.) Like the small cards, these coins dont have any real information; only the phrase all the best parties are kept secret and the url are printed. The members of the planning committee were each given a few coins to hand out. The intended audience for these expensive pieces were potential donors and high profile people. Julie wanted to mail a few of them, so we designed a strategy for getting them in peoples hands in an unexpected way. We ordered some plain white boxes from Uline, filled them with shredded paper, and simply placed the coins on top. The boxes were wrapped with craft paper and hand addressed. No return address was included and postage was met with a series of stamps. Arriving in mailboxes, these packages would appear very suspicious. No notes were included, which may have been a cause for confusion and concern at places like Mayor Meninos or Councilwoman Pressleys office.

THING HAPPENED

APRIL 5, 2013

The cards and the coins each point to different teaser sites. The cards invite users to visit whereistheroar.com and the coins are imprinted with whatisaroar.com. On the first, the site open with the phrase All the Best Parties Are Kept Secret. The second, though, presents the users with a warning: Didnt Your Mother Teach You to Never Take a Wooden Nickel? The teaser website provides an introduction to the world of The Roar. The site acts as a movie trailer of sorts, giving the audience a glimpse into the world of The Roar. In the background are blurry and grainy images that speak to the era of the speakeasy: patrons of a swanky bar, a guy and some dolls and some sassy women. The site is an invitation without ever taking on that traditional persona. Instead of saying Youre invited... it challenges you to Discover a place where. To bring SpeakEasy into a world of more modern browser technology, I incorporated some simple parallax scrolling into the site. It is important to make the site stand out and to be a surprise. After all, the
46

audience is given no real incentive to visit the page, or to even scroll down. At each and every step of the way, we must try to pique interest in small and unassuming ways.

THING HAPPENED

The coins and website got some incredible initial feedback. The Huntington Theatre Company posted to their Tumblr page: A very cool marketing approach by our friends at @SpeakeasyStage for their upcoming Gala #WhatIsTheRoar. Ilana Brownstein at Company One posted to Facebook: I just got in the mail a mysterious box with wooden nickel printed with a url and a promise of a secret party. I turned out to be (spoilers!) an invite to buy tix to {something}. Nice marketing, local theatre company. You know who you are. (I won't ruin it for others. Yet.) I can't say I can afford what you're pitching, but it definitely caught my attention. A very cool email was sent to the marketing director at SpeakEasy from the arts editor at The Dig: I just got the coolest package in the mail, containing a very interesting wooden nickel.This is an awesomely great idea! How can the Dig help? The next piece of the puzzle were the invitations. They were starting to feel like a relic from previous galas so I spent some time brainstorming with Julie about how to make them interesting. What if, I wondered, this invitation did more than just tell you how to buy a ticket and when to show up? What if this piece was actually some sort of guide to the event? Maybe it could teach you things you should know before showing up. If we start to teach about the event, were not only sharing some interesting content but we are using this potentially boring piece to actually prepare the audience for the experience. Formally, too, I wanted to break the rules a bit. I ended up pitching the idea that our invitation would actually be a series of four cards in an envelope, accompanied by a remittance form. The first three cards would consist of lessons or rules to prepare for the event. The first is a lesson in how to dance the Charleston. The second is a recipe for Giggle Water. The third is a small lesson in the slang of the era. The fourth card held all the small print for the event but in no way broke the flow of the piece as a whole. With the separate cards coming together to make a complete set, each invitation feels special. Additionally, I should note the utter consistency that I made sure existed throughout the pieces. It is important that the audience never lose its connection with the visual design and how it conveys the story of our event.
47

no return address and mystifying postage. Inside was confetti, and a

followed the prompt to a equally mysterious and swanky website. ...It

An Ecology of Communication

48

THING HAPPENED

49

An Ecology of Communication

The final piece of the marketing puzzle for The Roar is the ticket itself. Traditionally, SpeakEasy sent out the same tickets that they would have sent out for any production. This time, I recommended we do something different: even this tiny detail should be a part of the experience. On custom cut cards, the tickets will be hand stamped and numbered for each person. Also included on the card will be the password. Each person was required, at the door, to provide the password.

CURTAIN CALL
CONCLUSIONS After deciding to make this SpeakEasy project a part of my thesis I found myself constantly questioning the idea. How would this print and branding client fit in with the more obviously dynamic work I was doing at school? The work on The Roar, though, completely changed the potential for this project as a study in audience engagement. It has allowed me to not only test my ideas in a real landscape but it shows
52

that, no matter how small the budget, real experiences can be created as a form of marketing. Ive also learned that sometimes these ideas can be scary, especially when more conservative choices have been made in the past. As I continue to work with SpeakEasy on their alignmenta project that will go well past my graduation dateI hope that this successful experience of dynamic marketing will allow us to be more experimental in the future. Is this project dynamic in the sense that most dmi projects are? Well, no. In the case of The Roar, though, there is a definite journey to take from that wooden nickel to the ticket purchase. Its certainly easy to skip ahead and go straight to the tickets, but for those willing there was a fun journey to go on. Certainly, the moment between the ticket purchase and the actual event may have been filled with anticipation. If we were successful in our efforts, maybe some people immediately began planning the perfect outfit for the event or practicing their Charleston skills. This project is another fantastic opportunity to remind you, dear reader, that everything speaks. If any piece of this puzzle had been created without the overall experience in mind, the whole escapade would have been less complete and certainly less effective.

THING HAPPENED

54

THING HAPPENED

SECOND STORY
VAULT OF THE SECRET FORMULA Second Story, an experience design agency in Portland, Oregon, worked with Coca-Cola to develop an interactive world to showcase the new vault that holds their very secret cola formula. Instead of just pointing visitors to a vault, Coke and Second Story decided to play with the secrecy and mystery that guards the recipe. Visitors walk through an enormous vault door and are immediately immersed in a multimedia experience celebrating the lavish intrigue and mythology surrounding the world of Coke's unique flavor. Through the narrative, visitors' preconceived notions of the formula are challenged. The experience utilizes many technologies, relying heavily on Microsoft's Kinect to enable gestural movement and body positioning (Communication Arts). Users are greeted with printed and digital wall displays, movies, live displays, and everything in-between. The work plays with shadows and opaque surfaces, security cameras where you can see other parts of the gallery, apothecary drawers containing touch screens and just about every other sort of interactive opportunity available. Jacquie Wansley, a spokesperson for the World of Coke, said that it is not about collectibles archived behind glass. There is very little of that. This is experiencing Coca-Cola in a new way (Atlanta Business News). Putting the blatant commercialism of the venture aside, it is exciting to see a company as classic as Coca-Cola spending the time and money developing such a forward-thinking interactive exhibit. That the Coke representative spoke about this new way is something to consider when working on audience development for traditional fare. It is exactly the type of thing that was in my mind while developing concepts for The Glass Menagerie display. When we are introducing audiences to something that they already know, how do we present it in a new way?
55

experience enhancers

CR EATING A N ECOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION

RADIO
It also helped to clarify my own thoughts about how simple these pieces could be. It made me excited about the possibilities of something that is more an installationsomething like a gallery inside a lobby.

KILLING GAME

58

Previous: Drawing depicting a plague. Sweating-Sickness. Sweating-Sickness [English Sweat] - England Under A Apr. 2013. THING HAPPENED the Tudors. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 <www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/sweatingsickness.htm>.

PROLOGUE
BIT BY BIT, PUTTING IT TOGETHER

The third assignment for Brian Lucids Design Studio was to respond, using dynamic media, to Alan Lightman's Einstein's Dreams, a novel about Einstein's troubling dreams while he worked out the theory of relativity. In small print at the bottom of the assignment sheet was a note that we were not required to use Lightman's novel and could, in fact, pick any source material we wanted. I saw an opportunity to start playing with what I knew would be my thesis focus: how to enhance the experience of a performance for an audience. I wondered if there was a piece of dramatic literature that would inspire me. The train ride home from school is often where my most fruitful thinking happens. The evening's class will be fresh in my mindall the conversation still buzzing aroundand the immediacy of action is always helpful for me. Even after just one night's sleep, I find that details have been

59

Killing Game R adio

softened and it takes longer for the wheels to turn. I don't formalize the process of on-the-train-conceptualization. Instead, I let my mind wander, seeing what path I go down. The question that night was, What play could I use for the assignment? As I tend to do, I was thinking mainly about musical theatre piecesmaybe something to do with farming for Oklahoma or a clambake for Carousel. Would there be fodder in a historical musical like Les Miserables? Somehow, though, the musicals just weren't inspiring me. I wanted something with a little more gravitas. Not that musicals aren't rich with possibilities and deep questions, but they were feeling trite in comparison with the rich subject matter of Einstein's Dreams. I started thinking about plays. Maybe there would be something in the world of Ibsen: I made a mental note to look through The Master Builder and Ghosts. Or Checkhov: a magical Seagull or a train for The Three Sisters. I suddenly remembered a show

60

THING HAPPENED

I saw at the University of Texas in 1997: Eugene Ionesco's Killing Game. It is still one of the most invigorating pieces of theatre I had ever seen. The energy of the cast was infectious and the creativity of the direction was inspiring. Somewhere between South and Andrew Stations en route to Savin Hill on the Red Line, I decided that Killing Game would replace Einstein's Dreams and be the perfect piece to use as the stimulus for this new project.

61

Killing Game R adio

ACT ONE
SETTING UP THE PLOT Kirekegaard describes the Absurd as the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the inability to find any. It refers to that which is humanly impossible instead of logically impossible. (Kirekegaard) Theatre of the Absurd is a label for a particular group of mainly European plays in the late 1950s, including the work of Ionesco. Other playwrights usually associated with the label include Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard. Some common elements associated with absurdist theatre are broad comedy, clich-filled dialogue, wordplay and nonsense, and scenarios that are either a parody of, or completely divorced from, reality. With book and assignment, I went to work. First at hand was to reacquaint myself with the play and all the trappings on absurdist drama. Eugene Ionesco's Killing Game is notable, among other things, for probably holding the theatrical record for deaths on stage. Similar to Einsteins Dreams, this play is a series of vignettes. We have no main character but over the course of the play meet an entire village-worth of people. Ionesco's enthusiastically comedic overkill continues through almost every scene in the play, providing every actor in his large cast with at least one death scene. He is concerned not so much with death itself, as with what happens to human beings in a society that perceives itself under threat. The play addresses how easily human freedoms are compromised and manipulated by fear. The play opens on a sunlit village square as its denizens go about their business. The idyllic scene is rudely interrupted when twin infants are found dead in their strollerand those are just the beginning of the many deaths. Panic erupts as a mysterious plague sweeps the city. People scream, run in circles, drop dead with hilarious expedience. Before the first scene is over, everyone on stage has died.
63

Killing Game R adio

In a previous project I had done a series of brainstorming sessions looking at small version projects. I had wanted to transform an existing object like a rotary phone or keyhole using an Arduino board. Part of the interest in these small objects was the potential of mixing antiques with new technology. I was intrigued by the thought of how antiques come to us loaded with history and story. Most inspiring was Alison Kotin's Piece of 6 Voices which turns an old household savings bank into a breath-activated sound sculpture. On my brainstorming list was an old radio. I love the intimacy and anonymity of listening to the radio and it's purpose as a one-way communication device. During a trip to the Cambridge Antique Mall I found myself staring at radios and this thought popped into my head: What if the characters in Killing Game had a radio to turn to during the terrible outbreak? The basic idea formed very quickly. This would be a radio the night of the outbreak: specific plague-related news would be mixed with radio plays, pop tunes, and classical music all curated for the mid-century time period of the play or with general themes of death and destruc64

tion. The news reports, though, are the real absurdist connection. The breaking news will always be interrupted by radio static, leaving you unable to hear anything useful. The news reports will follow the plague as it travels across the country and, as the country succumbs to the illness, we will be left with only static as the reporters die.

ACT TWO
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE I planned on using an Arduino as the driving technology behind the project. Brian Lucid recommended I talk to Alison Kotin, who had used Arduino on many of her projects, for recommendations on how best to proceed. She assured me that the actual programming of the Arduino would be quite simple. As a form of sketching, she said I should work out the content in a quick on-screen interface using Processing. Since the same code would be used for the final piece, this sketching would not go to waste. She also talked about the real issue being the physical experience of touching the radio, turning the knob, and hearing the expected sounds. In no way should the form of the radio be compromised or distract from the story behind the piece.

THING HAPPENED

SHE ALWAYS WEARS

HER HAIR THAT WAY

As an example of a standard evening in the Theatre of the Absurd, please consider this synopsis one of its greatest hits: Ionesco's The Bald Soprano.
In prototypical London we meet a prototypical family: The Smiths. They have invited the Martins to their home for a visit. Joining them are the Smiths maid and her lover, the local fire chief. The dialogue is full of meaningless chatter made of nonsensical poems and stories. Mrs. Martin occasionally speaks to her husband as if he is a stranger. As he starts to leave, the fire chief makes mention of the bald soprano which makes everyone very uncomfortable. Mrs. Smith remarks, She always wears her hair that way. The scene ends in a series of loudly shouted complete and absolute non-sequiters. The lights come back up after the blackout to find the play starting again. It continues for a while before the lights fade out for good. In this classic work of the Theatre of the Absurd, Ionesco is to be expressing the futility of meaningful communication in modern society.

65

Image from a production of another of Ionesco's greatest hits: The Chairs.

Killing Game R adio

66

THING HAPPENED

I was a couple of months into Brian's Creative Algorithms class and was excited to have a real project to try some of my new programming skills on. In the end, it was a fairly easy thing to execute, just a simple slider that allowed you to change between a couple of stations playing music. If you were not in the right place for a station, it would play static. This is where the authenticity of the radio experience really came into play. I needed to hook up this sketch to a dial so that I could see how it felt to change the station herewould the experience be just an approximation or exactly like the real thing? At this point I started to wonder about the radio stations. Alison's warning about the physical truth of the radio being incredibly important was a wonderful reminder that this radio needed to be a genuine radio experience. A genuine radio experience should be based on historical fact, I decided. I called my father to ask about what he remembers from listening to the radio when he was little. He told me about the stations in Dallas that he remembered, and talked about hearing shows from all over Texas. He remembers that his mother, on very games. I decided to find a list of Dallas radio stations from the 1950s clear nights, could pick up wgn out of Chicago and listen to baseball and use it as a guide in creating my own world of radio. I knew that the little details of how far apart the stations were and how the strength of the signals could vary would be very valuable in making this radio as genuine as I could.

Opposite: Shopping for radios at the Cambridge Antique Market was a revelation.

67

Killing Game R adio

570 KGKO FORT WORTH

590 KTBC AUSTIN

f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f

630 KWFT WICHITA FALLS

660 KSKY DALLAS 720 WGN CHICAGO
740 KTRH HOUSTON 790 WMC MEMPHIS

KILLING GAME RADIO LAND

820 WFAA DALLAS

870 WWL NEW ORLEANS 930 WKY OKLAHOMA CITY

950 KPRC HOUSTON
980 WSIX NASHVILLE

1080 KRLD DALLAS

1090 KTHS HOT SPRINGS 1130 KWKH SHREVEPORT

1200 WOAI SAN ANTONIO
1230 KWTX WACO

1270 KFJZ FORT WORTH

1280 WDSU NEW ORLEANS
1310 WRR DALLAS

1340 KAND CORSICANA

1390 KCRC ENID
1450 KDNT DENTON 1490 KPLT PARIS
THING HAPPENED

1430 KTUL TULSA f

f f f

1520 KOMA OKLAHOMA CITY

CONSPIRACY RADIO TOP 40 TOP 40 KILLING GAME TOP 40 YOUR LOCAL SAD STATION MUSIC OF THE TANGO HERCULE POIROT NERO WOLF TOP 40 SOAP OPERAS TEJANO TOP 40 TOP 40 COUNTRY MUSIC EASY LISTENING SAD LADIES SINGING SONGS MURDER MYSTERY RADIO TOP 40 SORRY, WRONG NUMBER SONGS OF DEATH LONG LOST LOVE WACKY SOUNDS NEWS AND INFORMATION SIT BACK AND RELAX TOP 40 LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

I even went so far as to use the numbers in the Processing code. Some of my classmates were shocked when I mentioned thisthey were even adamant that it was completely unnecessary and that I was working way too hard. (I even got the impression that they were worried that it made them look like they hadn't worked hard enough.) I explained that I understood that the numbers truly meant nothing, but I believed that if the fineeven invisiblepoints were true that the whole thing would feel more special. It reminded me of actors who insist on wearing period underwear when doing an old playthose little historical accuracies will make subconscious differences. It was finally time to break out the Arduino. I opened up Massimo Banzi's incredible Getting Started with Arduino and started reading. The plan was to just go through the book until I had the skills I needed to move forward. I needed to take my on-screen radio dial, which required the user to move a slider back and forth, and turn it into something that a twisting dial could handle. In simple terms, the computer needed to be told a number. That number would tell it to play static or a radio station. The potentiometer allowed you to scroll through numbers in the same way that the on-screen slider could. I set aside the entire afternoon to read Banzi's book, figuring that something as special as what I needed would need some advanced skills. It was quite a lovely surprise, in fact, to find that what I needed was incredibly simple and was covered very early in the book. I was feeling very lucky with the programming so far. Alison was right: it was the easiest part of the project. I hooked the potentiometer to my original sketch and was able to change the radio station using the dial. I brought the set-up to class and asked my classmates to try it out and let me know what it felt like. Stephanie Dudzic commented that it really felt like she was changing the station. The tension of the knob was right and the action was smooth. I had the stations almost completely set up and was ready to put the Arduino in the body of a radio.

Following: A portion of the Processing code for Killing Game Radio.

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Killing Game R adio

ort cc.arduino.*;

ort ddf.minim.*; ort ddf.minim.signals.*; ort ddf.minim. lysis.*; ort ddf.minim. ects.*;

ial myPort; serial port

//

im minim; ioPlayer Station1; 0 KGKO Fort Worth ioPlayer Station2; 0 KTBC Austin ioPlayer Station3; 0 KWFT Wichita Falls ioPlayer Station4; 0 KSKY Dallas ioPlayer Station5; 20 WGN Chicago ioPlayer Station6; 0 KTRH Houston ioPlayer Station7; 0 WMC Memphis ioPlayer Station8; 0 WFAA Dallas ioPlayer Station9; 0 WWL New Orleans ioPlayer Station10; 0 WKY Oklahoma City

Station9 = minim. loadFile("Nero_Wolf_Station.mp3", 2048); Station10 = minim. loadFile("1950s_Pop.mp3", 2048); Station11 = minim. loadFile("Guiding_Light_ Radio.mp3", 2048); Station12 = minim. loadFile("Tejano_Radio. mp3", 2048); Station13 = minim. loadFile("1950s_Pop2.mp3", 2048); Station14 = minim. loadFile("Country_Station. mp3", 2048); Station15 = minim. loadFile("Beyond_the_ Dolls_Station.mp3", 2048); Station16 = minim. loadFile("Jazzy_Ladies_Radio.mp3", 2048); Station17 = minim. loadFile("inspector.mp3", 2048); Station18 = minim. loadFile("1950s_Pop5.mp3", 2048); Station19 = minim. loadFile("MurderStation. mp3", 2048); Station20 = minim. loadFile("SadJazz_Station. mp3", 2048); Station21 = minim. loadFile("SadJazzyLadies_ Station.mp3", 2048); Station22 = minim. loadFile("Fun_Sounds.mp3", 2048); Station23 = minim. loadFile("News_Station. mp3", 2048); Station24 = minim. loadFile("FunLounge_Station.mp3", 2048); Station25 = minim. loadFile("1950s_Pop6.mp3", 2048); Station26 = minim. loadFile("longday_Station. mp3", 2048); //Load News Announcements News1 = minim. loadFile("News1.mp3", 2048); News2 = minim. loadFile("News2.mp3", 2048); News3 = minim. loadFile("News3.mp3", 2048); News4 = minim. loadFile("News4.mp3", 2048);

Station9.loop(); Station10.loop(); Station11.loop(); Station12.loop(); Station13.loop(); Station14.loop(); Station15.loop(); Station16.loop(); Station17.loop(); Station18.loop(); Station19.loop(); Station20.loop(); Station21.loop(); Station22.loop(); Station23.loop(); Station24.loop(); Station25.loop(); Station26.loop();

myPort.bufferUntil('\n');

// }

frameRate(30);

void draw() { background(0); textFont(Helvy, 44); fill(#F0F0F0); text(StationName, 15, 60); textFont(FrequencyFont, 22); fill(#DCFF52); text(Frequency+"am", 15, 90); smooth(); }

// Station1.play(); // Station2.play(); // Station3.play(); // Station4.play(); // Station5.play(); // Station6.play(); // Station7.play(); // Station8.play(); // Station9.play(); // Station10.play(); // Station11.play(); // Station12.play(); // Station13.play(); // // // // // // // // // // // // // // Station14.play(); Station15.play(); Station16.play(); Station17.play(); Station18.play(); Station19.play(); Station20.play(); Station21.play(); Station22.play(); Station23.play(); Station24.play(); Station25.play(); Station26.play();

//this is where it all happens!! void serialEvent (Serial myPort) { // get the ASCII string: String inString = myPort. readStringUntil('\n'); if (inString != null) { // trim off any whitespace: inString = trim(inString); // convert to an int float inByte = float(inString); //set inByte range to 100 inByte = map(inByte, 0, 1023, 0, 600); //Convert inByte to Integer for prettier numbers int station = int(inByte); // Make Radio Station Lookin' Numbers float stationListing = map(inByte, 0, 600, 550, 1600);

stationListing < 950) || (stationListing > 970 && stationListing < 990) || (stationListing > 1070 && stationListing < 1090) || (stationListing > 1080 && stationListing < 1100) || (stationListing > 1120 && stationListing < 1140) || (stationListing > 1190 && stationListing < 1210) || (stationListing > 1220 && stationListing < 1240) || (stationListing > 1260 && stationListing < 1280) || (stationListing > 1270 && stationListing < 1290) || (stationListing > 1300 && stationListing < 1320) || stationListing > 1330 && stationListing < 1350) || (stationListing > 1380 && stationListing < 1400) || (stationListing > 1420 && stationListing < 1440) || (stationListing > 1440 && stationListing < 1460) || (stationListing > 1480 && stationListing < 1500) || (stationListing > 1510 && stationListing < 1530)){ // News1. unmute(); // StaticNoise. mute(); // }else{ // News1.mute(); // StaticNoise. unmute(); // } //GETTING STATIC BETWEEN STATIONS DURING NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT // if ((stationListing > 550) && (stationListing<560) || stationListing >575 && stationListing<580 || stationListing>600 && stationListing <620 || stationListing>640 && stationListing <650 || stationListing >670 && stationListing <710 || stationListing >730 && stationListing <731 || stationListing <750 && stationListing >780 || stationListing <810 && stationListing >830 || stationListing <860 && stationListing >880 || stationListing <920 && stationListing >950 || stationListing <970 && stationListing >990 || stationListing <1070 && stationListing >1100 || stationListing <1120 && stationListing >1140 || stationListing <1190 && stationListing >1210 || stationListing <1220 && stationListing >1240 || stationListing <1260 && stationListing >1290 || stationListing <1300 && stationListing >1320 || stationListing <1330 && stationListing >1350 || stationListing <1380 && stationListing >1400 || stationListing <1420 && stationListing >1460 || stationListing <1480 && stationListing >1500 || stationListing <1510 && stationListing >1530) { // StaticNoise. unmute(); // News1. mute(); // } // else { // StaticNoise. mute(); // News1. unmute(); // }

mute(); }

// if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { // Station1. mute(); // Station2. mute(); // Station3. mute(); // Station4. mute(); // Station5. mute(); // Station6. mute(); // Station7. mute(); // Station8. mute(); // Station9. mute(); // Station10. mute(); // Station11. mute(); // Station12. mute(); // Station13. mute(); // Station14. mute(); // Station15. mute(); // Station16. mute(); // Station17. mute(); // Station18. mute(); // Station19. mute(); // Station20. mute(); // Station21. mute(); // Station22. mute(); // Station23. mute(); // Station24. mute(); // Station25. mute(); // Station26. mute(); // StaticNoise.mute(); // // // // // // StationName = "News Announcement"; // // }

Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute();

StationName = "KGKO Crazies_Station. mp3"; } } //STATION 2 else if (stationListing > 580 && stationListing < 600) { if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station2.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else { Station1.mute(); Station2.unmute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "KTBC 1950s_Pop 4"; } } //STATION 3 else if (stationListing > 620 && stationListing < 640) { if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station3.mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute();// News1.mute(); } else { Station1.mute(); Station2.mute(); Station3.unmute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute();

ioPlayer Station11; 0 KPRC Houston ioPlayer Station12; 0 WSIX Nashville ioPlayer Station13; 80 KRLD Dallas ioPlayer Station14; 90 KTHS Hot Springs ioPlayer Station15; 30 KWKH Shreveport ioPlayer Station16; 00 WOAI San Antonio ioPlayer Station17; 30 KWTX Waco ioPlayer Station18; 70 KFJZ Fort Worth ioPlayer Station19; 80 WDSU New Orleans ioPlayer Station20; 10 WRR Dallas ioPlayer Station21; 40 KAND Corsicana ioPlayer Station22; 90 KCRC Enid ioPlayer Station23; 30 KTUL Tulsa ioPlayer Station24; 50 KDNT Denton ioPlayer Station25; 90 KPLT Paris ioPlayer Station26; 20 KOMA Oklahoma City

70

ioPlayer ioPlayer ioPlayer ioPlayer

News1; News2; News3; News4;

ioPlayer StaticNoise;

ing StationName; ing stationListing2; ing Frequency;

//Load Static StaticNoise = minim. loadFile("Static.mp3", 2048); StationName = "Tuner Warming Up";

//skip first bits of the tracks Station1.skip(9000); Station2.skip(9000); Station3.skip(9000); Station4.skip(9000); Station5.skip(9000); Station6.skip(9000); Station7.skip(9000); Station8.skip(9000); Station9.skip(9000); Station10.skip(9000); Station11.skip(9000); Station12.skip(9000); Station13.skip(9000); Station14.skip(9000); Station15.skip(9000); Station16.skip(9000); Station17.skip(9000); Station18.skip(9000); Station19.skip(9000); Station20.skip(9000); Station21.skip(9000); Station22.skip(9000); Station23.skip(9000); Station24.skip(9000); Station25.skip(9000); Station26.skip(9000);

JUST FOR THE VISUALS nt Helvy; nt FrequencyFont;

StaticNoise.play(); StaticNoise.loop(); //Setting Up Loops and Skipping and Stu Station1.mute(); Station2.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // Station1.mute(); Station2.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute();

d setup() {

/ JUST FOR THE VISUALS ize(640, 360); oStroke(); elvy = dFont("Helvetica-Consed-Bold-48.vlw"); requencyFont = dFont("LucidaSans-32. ");

// THIS IS FOR THE SCREEN DISPLAY OF STATION AND THE PRINTLN // IT DECIDES HOW MANY DIGITS IN THE STATION AND TRUNCATES/DISPLAYS APPROPRIATELY if (stationListing < 1000) { int stationListing2 = round(stationListing); // String stationListing3 = nf(stationListing2); println(station+" || "+stationListing2+" || "+StationName); Frequency = nfs(stationListing2, 3, 0); } else { // float stationListing = map(inByte, 0, 600, 87.5, 105.9); int stationListing2 = round(stationListing); println(station+" || "+stationListing2+" || "+StationName); Frequency = nfs(stationListing2, 4, 0); }

//RADIO STATIONS

//STATION 1 else if (stationListing > 560 && stationListing < 580) { if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { StaticNoise. mute(); Station1.mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else { Station1.unmute(); Station2.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute();

// NEWS BREAK-INS

/ Load Music inim = new Minim(this); tation1 = minim. dFile("Crazies_Station. ", 2048); tation2 = minim. dFile("1950s_Pop 4.mp3", 8); tation3 = minim. dFile("Pop_Music.mp3", 8); tation4 = minim. dFile("Ionesco_Radio. ", 2048); tation5 = minim. dFile("1950s_Pop3.mp3", 8); tation6 = minim. dFile("Sad_Music.mp3", 8); tation7 = minim. dFile("Tango_Music. ", 2048);

StaticNoise.mute(); Station1.loop(); Station2.loop(); Station3.loop(); Station4.loop(); Station5.loop();

if (frameCount == 1000) { News1.play(); News1.mute(); } // if ((stationListing > 560 && stationListing < 575 || (stationListing > 580 && stationListing < 600) || (stationListing > 620 && stationListing < 640) || (stationListing > 650 && stationListing < 670) || (stationListing > 710 && stationListing < 730) || A THING HAPPENED (stationListing > 731 && StaticNoise.mute(); stationListing < 750) || (stationListing > 780 && //setting up the serial stationListing < 800) || port (stationListing > 810 && myPort = new stationListing < 830) || Serial(this, Serial.list() (stationListing > 860 && [0], 9600); stationListing < 880) ||

if (frameCount == 5000) { News2.play(); News2.mute(); // News2. mute(); } if (frameCount == 10000) { News3.play(); News3.mute(); // News3. mute(); } if (frameCount ==20000) {

"KWFT Pop_Music.mp3"; } } //STATION 4 else if (stationListing > 650 && stationListing < 670) {

if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station4.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else { Station1.mute(); Station2.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.unmute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "KSKY Ionesco_Radio.mp3"; } } //STATION 5 else if (stationListing > 710 && stationListing < 730) {

if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station6.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else { Station1.mute(); Station2.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.unmute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "KTRH Sad_Music.mp3"; } } //STATION 7 else if (stationListing > 780 && stationListing < 800) {

News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else { Station1.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.unmute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "WFAA poirot.mp3"; } } //STATION 9 else if (stationListing > 860 && stationListing < 880) {

Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10. unmute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "WKY 1950s_Pop.mp3"; } }

Station11.mute(); Station12. unmute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "WSIX Tejano_Radio.mp3"; } }

Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "KTHS Country_Station. mp3"; } }

Station26.mute( StaticNoise. mute();

StationName = "WOAI Jazzy_Ladies_Rad mp3"; } }

//STATION 17 else if (stationLis ing > 1220 && stationListing < 1240)

//STATION 15 else if (stationListing > 1120 && stationListing < 1140) { if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station15.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else { Station1.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15. unmute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "KWKH Beyond_the_Dolls_ Station.mp3"; } }

//STATION 13 else if (stationListing > 1070 && stationListing < 1085) { if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3.

if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station17.mute( StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else {

Station1.mute()

//STATION 11 else if (stationListing > 930 && stationListing < 950) {

if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station5.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else {

if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station7.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else { Station1.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.unmute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "WMC Tango_Music.mp3"; } } //STATION 8 else if (stationListing > 810 && stationListing < 830) {

if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station9.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else { Station1.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.unmute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "WML Nero_Wolf_Station. mp3"; } } //STATION 10 else if (stationListing > 920 && stationListing < 940) {

if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station11.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else { Station1.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11. unmute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "KPRC Guiding_Light_Radio. mp3"; } } //STATION 12 else if (stationListing > 970 && stationListing < 990) {

isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station13.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else { Station1.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13. unmute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "KRLD 1950s_Pop2"; } }

Station3.mute() Station4.mute() Station5.mute() Station6.mute() Station7.mute() Station8.mute() Station9.mute() Station10.mute( Station11.mute( Station12.mute( Station13.mute( Station14.mute( Station15.mute( Station16.mute( Station17. unmute(); Station18.mute( Station19.mute( Station20.mute( Station21.mute( Station22.mute( Station23.mute( Station24.mute( Station25.mute( Station26.mute( StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "KWTX inspector.mp3"; } }

//STATION 18 else if (stationLis ing > 1260 && stationListing < 1280)

//STATION 16 else if (stationListing > 1190 && stationListing < 1210) { if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station16.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else { Station1.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16. unmute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute();

Station1.mute(); Station2.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.unmute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14.mute(); Station15.mute(); Station16.mute(); Station17.mute(); Station18.mute(); Station19.mute(); Station20.mute(); Station21.mute(); Station22.mute(); Station23.mute(); Station24.mute(); Station25.mute(); Station26.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); StationName = "WGN 1950s_Pop3"; } } //STATION 6 else if (stationList-

//STATION 14 else if (stationListing > 1088 && stationListing < 1100) { if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station14.mute(); StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else {

if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station18.mute( StaticNoise. mute(); News1.unmute(); News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); News4.unmute(); // News1. mute(); } else {

if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station8.mute();

if (News1. isPlaying() || News2. isPlaying() || News3. isPlaying() || News4. isPlaying()) { Station12.mute(); StaticNoise. if (News1. mute(); isPlaying() || News2. News1.unmute(); isPlaying() || News3. News2.unmute(); isPlaying() || News4. News3.unmute(); isPlaying()) { News4.unmute(); Station10.mute(); // News1. StaticNoise. mute(); mute(); } Killing Game R adio News1.unmute(); else { News2.unmute(); News3.unmute(); Station1.mute(); News4.unmute(); Station3.mute(); // News1. Station4.mute(); mute(); Station5.mute(); } Station6.mute(); else { Station7.mute();

Station1.mute(); Station3.mute(); Station4.mute(); Station5.mute(); Station6.mute(); Station7.mute(); Station8.mute(); Station9.mute(); Station10.mute(); Station11.mute(); Station12.mute(); Station13.mute(); Station14. unmute(); Station15.mute();

Station1.mute() Station3.mute() Station4.mute() Station5.mute() Station6.mute() Station7.mute() Station8.mute() Station9.mute() Station10.mute( Station11.mute( Station12.mute( Station13.mute( Station14.mute( Station15.mute( Station16.mute( Station17.mute( Station18. unmute(); Station19.mute( Station20.mute( Station21.mute( Station22.mute( Station23.mute( Station24.mute( Station25.mute( Station26.mute( StaticNoise. mute(); StationName =

72

THING HAPPENED

ACT 3
THE ACTUAL HARD PART I ended up going through two radios for the project. The first one was gorgeous looking and didn't have too many bells and whistles to worry about. When I took it apart, sadly, I discovered that the inner working were far more complicated that I expected. I could not find one way to make my potentiometer fit. The second radio, though, was perfect. It was a newer radio, a Zenith, and the electronics inside were much more organized and slid out almost like butter. I enlarged the hole in the dial and put my potentiometer in there. I plugged the Arduino back into the computer and was surprised to find a working radio. Having the actual radio case as a visual wall between me and the computer was a huge moment. Instead of grasping the small potentiometer I was holding a large radio dial. I could see the numbers. Since I could practically block the view of the computer, I could easily imagine that it was just a computer working. A cheap speaker was put into the case and the basic prototype was finished. The first time I tested the radio on my classmates, they were very excited for me. It felt great to have worked out this completely interactive objectto have made something realand not just a video abstract. With the physical components in place, I had to create my complete radio stations. I had made a couple of stations already to use for the testing but needed to finish the development of all the content. Most importantly, I needed to write and record all of the news reports. Deciding it would be more expedient to direct myself than to find someone else, I did the voiceover work and added some effects to it in Adobe Soundbooth, which is also where I added the pops and clicks and static that would take over the news reports. With all the pieces in place, I made my final presentation to the class. I let people turn the dial and find different stations. My news reports came on and the story unfolded.
73

Killing Game R adio

CURTAIN CALL
CONCLUSION The two major personal goals I had for this projectto start working on thesis projects and to use an Arduinocould not have been better achieved. There was not much that was frustrating about working on this projectthough my classmates' insistence that I was working too hard and putting too many details into the project was a major irritation. In the end, I think that some of the hardest work we do will never be seen by users. That detailed thinking doesn't end up in the forefront, the specificity will impact everything around it. I opted to not spend a ton of money on this project by using the least expensive (though still beautiful) radio I could find and by keeping the Arduino set up nice and simple. There are devices I could purchase that would allow me to not have a computer connected to the radio and the whole device could
74

be self-contained. As Brian pointed out, that would have taken up about ninety percent of the project time but would only have been worth ten percent of the effort. I learned what I needed to learn with this prototyping process. The extra pieces would have been nice but the tripled budget and extra time may not have been worth it. Killing Game radio was the first piece in my portfolio that I could use to explain my thesis research topic to people. It displayed in an eloquent way the idea of dynamic media becoming a way to extend the theatrical experience for an audience. I could recognize some a-ha moments from colleagues and advisors when I presented the work in class and in reviews. At my first meetings at the American Repertory Theatre I used the radio to demonstrate one type of experience that could be possible in their lobby. It also helped to clarify my own thoughts about how simple these pieces could be. It made me excited about the possibilities of something that is more an installationsomething like a gallery inside a lobby.

THING HAPPENED

75

Killing Game R adio

76

THING HAPPENED

SIGNATURE THEATRE
MISSION Signature Theatre's Artistic Director, James Houghton, believes that theatre should be an immersive and communal experience. He was working with playwright Romulus Linney several years ago and realized that theatre was the only art form when audiences could only experience a playwright's work based on their most recent production. In film, you can discover a director and go watch all of his movies. Fine art, books, and television are the same. But if you find a new playwright there is never an opportunity to watch all of his or her plays in a row. Thus began Signature Theatre's missionas noted on their websiteof making an extended commitment to a playwrights body of work, and during this journey, the writer is engaged in every aspect of the creative process. By championing in-depth explorations of a living playwrights body of work, the Company delivers an intimate and immersive journey into the playwrights singular vision. As a part of this vision, Signature has developed some incredible opportunities for the audience to take a journey with them. They create large lobby installations of dramaturgical research that deeply explain the plays, their backstory and the journey to production. They produce a seasonal magazine featuring in-depth interviews with the season's playwrights and artistic staff. Their website features video interviews with their playwrights-in-residence. In 2012 they completed the building of a new home with the impressive Frank Ghery-designed Pershing Square Signature Center. There is a central lobby that feeds into three separate performance venues and includes a caf, bookstore and several touchscreen displays. The goal of the open lobby is that it is a space for the entire community to come together. Signature's description of the space includes a hope that audiences may find Edward Albee working on edits to a new script or an actor having a coffee. When they say that they want to create an immersive environment for theatre they are not just talking about the performance but of making the entire community a part of the creation.
77

experience enhancers

78

THING HAPPENED

On my visit to the space in April of 2012, the screens were focused on sharing institutional branding, which included information about previous productions. One of the screens included a camera with which you could take a picture of yourself and become a part of the constantly growing digital mural of visitors to the Center. Sadly, the displays for each production did not take advantage of any interactive media. Dramaturgical material was designed on paper and pinned to large cork boards. The displays aligned perfectly with Signature's angular visual language which, in turn, is reflective of the angular nature of Gerhy's space. I hope to see some of that interactive media make its way into the dramaturgical world. Instead of reading quotes, we could hear them. Instead of looking at a row of costume sketches, we could flip through them on a screen. Most importantly, instead of standing and reading a wall, the audience could become actively engaged in this educational experience.

79

experience enhancers

80

THING HAPPENED

CR EATING A N ECOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION

THEATRE
Throw any of these archetypes into a situationa town festival, for instanceand let their natural inclinations step forward to create an entertaining plot. And, because of its continual influence in popular culture, most users will be subconsciously aware of the archetypes and how they act.

TOY

COMMEDIA

81

Toy theatre

82

Previous: Drawing depicting commedia characters for toy theatres. Wilson, A. E. Penny Plain, Two Pence THING HAPPENED Coloured; a History of the A Juvenile Drama. London [etc.: G.G. Harrap &, 1932. Print.

The idea for the toy theatre came as a response to a projection mapping project from Brian Lucid in Elements of Media. The task was to create a maquette that we could project a story onto using a piece of software called MadMapper. When I looked up what, exactly, a maquette was, I was directed to the Wikipedia entry that described it as a small-scale model. I immediately thought of all the intricate set models created by set designers to present their designs. As a part of their process, set designers can test designs at a small scale and not waste the budget working full scale. The model allows members of the artistic team to get a three-dimensional visual of the playing space, understanding where actors may move and what kind of lighting will be appropriate. My idea was to create a small model of a stage and to project some tales from Shakespeare. I would have legs on the sides of the stage, a backdrop, the proscenium, and other carefully placed items that could be mapped to create a narrative. I thought it could be a performance, with me providing narration over the projected visuals.
Toy theatre

83

Right: inspirational images of scenery and stage projection

I presented these ideas in class, and even built a small theatre using a cut-paper model from the Victoria and Albert Museum website. That model was actually for a toy theatre and had all the trappings I was looking for. In that first presentation, the class wondered if we could try projecting onto the model for funjust to see what it would look like. The effect was incredible. Even though it was just nonsense imagery, the extremely bright lights from the projection practically twinkled against my little paper stage. After I presented, my classmate, Martha Rettig, presented her idea. She wanted to make an interactive projection mapping project. Something where people, moving in space, would be projected. It occurred to me that if we merged our projects we might be able to come up with something really fun. I mentioned it to her and she jumped at the idea. The idea was to take her large human-scaled idea and shrink it down to the size of my small model. What if, I asked, we actually used this model as a true toy theatre, and asked users to act out a play using small figures? Instead of humans being projected, it would be the tiny characters that were being manipulated on sticks. We started looking at our setup. There would be a small model of a theatre, all whiteour projections would create the scenery. In front of the maquette would be the projector. Martha asked if we could play with the idea of shadows. What if there were two ways of watching. From the front you could see the stage and all its levels and from the back you could watch a shadow play. Our sketches included putting the entire contraption, projector and stage, onto a large rotating platform. During the performance of a piece, the stage could be rotated and you could have scenes performed in shadow. To test our sketches we set out to choose a story that could be presented on our tiny stage. We looked through old stories, thinking that fairy tales would be well-known enough to withstand our more abstract form of storytelling. We latched on to the idea of The Little Mermaid. The underwater world would be great to tell using the shadow puppets and the regular stage could be used for the normal earth-bound world. What was missing, though, was a sense of system. How could we turn this into a way to tell any story and not just a set for The Little Mermaid? Somewhere in the back of my head came thoughts of theatre's great algorithms: Commedia dell'Arte.

84

THING HAPPENED

85

Toy theatre

COMMEDIA TV
GILLIGAN the accident prone naf, the crewman of the fateful voyage; noted for physical comedy ARLECHINNO the most popular of the commedia character; a prankster known for physical comedy THE SKIPPER the captain of the SS Minnow, a father figure to Gilligan, the leader; comical and democratic; orders people around but is friendly and lovable PANTALONE the master

WITH GILLIGAN'S ISLAND

AND OTHER POPULAR SHOWS
Commedia is a great backbone to improvisation, and was often performed as such. Throw any of these archetypes into a situation a town festival, for instance and let their natural inclinations step forward to create an entertaining plot. And, because of its continual influence in popular culture, most users will be subconsciously aware of the archetypes and how they act.

86

THE PROFESSOR a science teacher; level-headed; the most natural of the characters

IL DOTTORE educated; sometimes pompous

THURSTON HOWELL III an incredibly rich man; never works; selfish but lovable

IL CAPITANO a bombast; constantly and falsely bragging that he is braver than he is; colorfully overdressed

MRS. LOVEY HOWELL wife of Thurston; spoiled and preoccupied with social status but kind and caring

LA RUFFIANA an old woman; a mother and a gossip

GINGER

ISABELLA

the movie star; a Marilyn Monroe/Jayne a prima donna; always wears the latest Mansfield type; a beautiful and classy fashion; young and attractive lady of the highest order

MARY ANN

COLUMBINA

the ingnue; a typical girl-next-door; a cunning woman; charming; a servant friend to Ginger; has practical skills and character; earthy and intelligent common sense

THING HAPPENED

FRIENDS
Monica.................. Columbina Ross...........................Il Dottore Rachel........................... Isabella Phoebe................... La Ruffiana Chandler..................Pantalone Joey..........................Arlecchino

WILL AND GRACE

Will...........................Pantalone Grace...................... Columbina Karen............................ Isabella Jack..........................Arlecchino

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Michael.....................Pantalone

87

Gob......................... Il Capitano Buster......................Arlecchino

George Michael... Male Lover Lucille.................... La Ruffiana George Sr.................Il Dottore Lindsay......................... Isabella

Maebey.............. Female Lover Tobias............................Il Dottore

30 ROCK
Liz..............................Pantalone

Jenna............................. Isabella Tracy........................... Il Capitano

Jack............................Il Dottore Kenneth..................Arlecchino

THE GOLDEN GIRLS

Dorothy.....................Pantalone

Rose.........................Arlecchino Sophia.................... La Ruffiana

Blanche.................. Il Capitano

Toy theatre

With commedia as the backbone of our improvisational structure, we started looking at a system to build around it. What happens to the stage when a character is introduced? What are the visual and aural feedback points? How does the user interact with the space? THE SYSTEM There are three specific ways that the toy theatre changes based on what the user does. First, when a character is introduced to the stage the projection reflects that character. For instance, when Arlecchino enters a pattern appearsa diamond pattern reminiscent of the harlequin pattern that we are familiar with. The overall color is purple hued, bringing a lively feel to the setting. Second, along with color and pattern, Arlecchino's entrance will cue a musical theme. For this little clown, a playful Bandoleon instrumental matches the character beautifully. The third adjustment is a change in setting. There are five set pieces backstage that each represent a setting: a wardrobe for the home, a tree for a forest, a peacock for the garden, a large chair for the
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banquet hall, and a statue for the veranda. These settings are based on black and white drawing from the sets of Victorian toy theatres and are layered on top of the characters' patterns and colors. When there are multiple characters on stage, the patterns, colors and music blend together. When Columbina joins Arlecchino, there are two playful soundtracks that join to create a new joyful whole. The melancholy beauty of the lovers' musical cues come together to create a beautiful ballad while their projections are full of ornate flowers that intertwine when layered on top of each other. While I spent time creating these visual and aural moments, Martha had the heavy task of discovering how to facilitate these shifts. We needed these little characters and set pieceswhich are attached to sticks and manipulated from the sides of the stageto alter the projections and sounds. The final piece of the puzzle was the creation of the actual theatre. We had been testing with the mockup from the V & A museum, but needed to create a larger blank canvas for these projections. Using the template we'd been working with, I sketched plans for a slightly larger space. There were plans for a white playing space and a gilded proscenium. I thought it would be great for our theatre to mimic, in many ways, the theatres of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An old-fashioned proscenium would create a lovely juxtaposition with the high-tech projections.

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THE CHARACTERS

The characters in Commedia Toy Theatre are five of the basic archetypes. As puppets in the little stage, each of these figures was cut out and affixed to a wooden stick which provided for easy manipulation from the sides of the stage.

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Columbina

Il Capitano

Female Lover
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Male Lover

Arlecchino

THE SETTINGS

Our backdrops come from the drawings and plans of Pollock's Toy company, originally published in the 19th Century. We've used the setting for Cinderella for our commedia settings.

The Banquet Hall

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The Veranda

THING HAPPENED

The Home

The Garden

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The Forest

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CHARACTER BACKGROUNDS

The colored background for each character reflect the emotional characteristics of each archetype. For examples, Il Capitano is red and dark which matches his ability to be menacing.

Columbina

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Arlecchino

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Il Capitano

Female Lover

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Male Lover

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SETTINGS MIXED WITH THE CHARACTER BACKGROUNDS

When a character enters a scene, the color and sound change to reflect. Shown here are examples of that overlay. When two characters are on stage, their color blend to create a new texture.

Columbina in the Banquet Hall

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Arlecchino on the Veranda

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Il Capitano the Home

Female Lover in the Garden

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Male Lover in the Forest

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Toy theatre

Previous: Images from the prototype night. Left: I built a toy theatre using a template from the Victoria and Albert Museum. Right: The finished maquette, ready to be filled with light.

I sourced some balsa wood to create the playing space for our pro98

totype. Balsa would be the perfect light and simple solution for this structure. With knives and glues in hand, I set up shop in the dmi studio and set out to build a little theatre. I had, of course, seen many of these maquettes in my life when being presented with set designs. I had watched my colleagues building them and making tiny versions of future masterpieces. My only experience making them, though, was my V & A museum toy theatre. I basically simplified that structure and doubled the size. Instead of removable side panels for the legs, I created permanent structures. Instead of a removable backdrop, I created what amounted to a cyclorama at the back of the stage. For the prototype, we decided to try out fiducials, small visual cues that can be recognized by a camera. Each character and set piece has a unique fiducial to cue the system to present the correct visual and/or sound. The camera was mounted above the stage to capture what was present. The interaction was quick and fairly painless and the code was a simple if-this-then-that set up. The prototyping night was splendid. Jeff Bartell and Yael Alkalay played with the system during class one night. Our system still had some kinksthe fiducials were a less than perfect solutionbut the interaction was fun for both the performers and the audience. We introduced the basic character to Jeff and Yael, explained the set up, and left them to their own devices. Their play was, honestly, a little

THING HAPPENED

hard to follow but it was highly enjoyable to watch them grow comfortable with creating character voices. It was also magical to watch the imagery and music change with the introduction of the various characters and set pieces. CONCLUSION Why is this piece important? That question has been asked of me several times since the creation of the prototype. On some level, this is a response to the fact that these toys are disappearing because entertainment is so easily found and theres really no need to make our own. However, theres a beauty and simplicity to stretching your imagination. Instead of being force-fed media, maybe we could make our own. Could children use this as a fun way to recreate classic literature and better understand it? When we perform a role dont we better understand the motivation? Could we reenact history with a toy theatre and learn from past mistakes? There are a lot of fairly over-the-top ideas for this small project. The secondand probably most honestreason that I was drawn so completely to this project is that it is light. It is whimsical. It is fun. Design does not have to pretend to do anything that it doesnt want to do. This piece is a light diversion into something that was a blast to work on. The last point is about process. I could have easily presented this project as simply something that Martha and I wanted to work on but that would have only been half of the story. The first half of this tale is one of allowing instincts and passions to drive creativity. The journey from assignment to final prototype is always full of twists and turns. Along the way we have to make choices and follow through with decision, and each of those moments comes together to create that final piece.
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HUNTINGTON THEATRE SOCIAL MEDIA

AN INTERVIEW WITH THOM DUNN, SOCIAL MEDIA GURU AT HUNTINGTON THEATRE

IT SEEMS LIKE YOU ARE HAVING A LOT OF FUN ALL OVER TWITTER, TUMBLR, AND MANY OF THE POPULAR SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS. IS THERE AN OVER-ARCHING OBJECTIVE TO THE HUNTINGTON'S SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY? The over-riding objective is to simply engage with our audience. We like to think that our plays inspire conversation, and we hope that conversation continues even after people leave the theatre. Social media is just another outlet to keep that conversation going. There's obviously a lot going on at the theatre even when we're not in production (or when we're gearing up for a production), and it helps keep people interested and excited and keeps the Huntington on their minds. As a larger institution, we certainly think of ourselves as a leader among the Boston theatre community, so we also try to perpetuate conversation about theatre in general, and other local companies, because theatre is all about community. WHAT WAS THE IMPETUS FOR BUILDING THIS UP AS YOU HAVE? On one hand, social media is a free marketing tool for the most part, so it's a no-brainer (although certainly you could argue that time equals money, and it requires you to commit a great deal of time in order to keep the voice current, fresh, and real, etc). But again, we believe strongly in keeping the conversation going beyond the curtainwe host post-show conversations after most of our performances, for example, and social media is yet another way to continue engaging with our audience. It's a powerful, viral tool for helping spread the word about our shows in new and different ways as well. Obviously social media is a hot button topic these days, but there's definitely a payoff when you actually commit to interacting with your audience, rather than just using it as a marketing outlet. It needs to be a two-way streethence the social. DO YOU HAVE METRICS THAT ALLOW YOU TO PROVE EFFECTIVENESS? COULD YOU SHARE ANY SPECIFIC DATA? We keep close tabs on our Twitter interactions / retweets, and our Facebook reach as well. Facebook offers some fantastic insights for brands, and it's easy to see what kinds of posts people are engaging
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with, and what time of day is the most effective, etc. We have nearly 5,400 fans on Facebook, and most of our posts reach at least 1,000 people (Facebook doesn't actually show all of your content to people now, unless you pay...). We've been much more attentive to the kinds of posts that people share as well, since those tend to reach 2,500+, which is even better. We have about 3,500 followers on twitterboth for the Huntington, and for BostonTheatreScene, which we also runand 430,000 views on YouTube. On the other hand, we have tried a few different contests/outreach things on our various social media platforms that have sounded cool, and to which people have reacted positively, but with which few people have actually engaged. So we try those things a few times, and change it up a bit each time, but if it doesn't work after a few tries, we understand that it's not worth the effort to maintain. HAVE YOU NOTICED A CHANGE IN ANYTHING? People like memes. People like things to be fast, funny, and fresh. In
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some ways, it seems like the more irreverent something is, the faster it spreads over social media. Shorter videos that offer real behind-thescenes looks, instead of just regurgitating the standard marketing copy, are also most effective. For example, we often do behind-the-scenes interviews with cast/creative teams of our productions. Those videos usually clock in around 3 minutes, and they tend to be even more effective when the interviewees are either (a) local, or (b) sharing something new and almost secretive about the show. Similarly, we usually make short one-minute-ish trailers, to varying degrees of success. People always watch them, because they are short, but our Good People trailerwhich filmed the character Margie's complete journey on the time-lapseis one of our most popular videos of all time. We try to make all the trailers a bit different and more creative, but they don't all work as successfully as that. WHAT IS THE STAFFING LIKE? It's a lot of me, although I do encourage other people to engage with our Social Media pages. Over on Facebook, it's mostly a joint effort between myself, our Communications Manager Rebecca Curtiss, and Production Manager Todd Williams. We try to maintain a more formal-ish institutional voice for Facebook, almost like a more casual approach to our standard official marketing copythat way, it's still social, but it represents the institution as a whole the way that we'd like to be seen. Twitter, on the other hand, is definitely in my voice. A

mbta from Southie to Chestnut Hill, and turned it into a minute long

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few other people have access to the account, but no one else really uses it, so I try to put an effort in to be as friendly and informal as possibleto make clear that it's a person, and not just an institution, that's behind it. I think that's a major difference in the social atmospheres of Facebook and Twitter, and for us, it seems to work well. Similar to twitter, I've been exploring Tumblr as of late, and again, I've come to notice a trend that people enjoy it more and react more positively when you as a brand are actually engaged, and doing more than just marketing at people. So I share other silly memes that are at least quasirelevant to the work that we do, just like I share other links or ideas on Twitter, because hopefully that engenders conversation with our audience. And even if they're not having a conversation that's specifically about us, we still helped facilitate that discussion, which keeps us in peoples' minds and helps establish us as a trustworthy voice among the loud, endless party of social media.

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A MER ICA N R EPERTORY THEATER LOBBY I

MARIE ANTOINETTE
I went into my first meeting with the art staff not certain of my role in the process of developing a lobby display. Was I going to be in charge of the design? Was I to simply be a voice in the conversation?
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ABOUT THE PLAY

The barbed and brassy tragicomedy Marie Antoinette provides a peek into the life of everyones favorite representative of the 1% the infamous Queen of France and cake enthusiast. Though she delights and inspires her subjects with her three-foot tall wigs and extravagant haute couture, times change and Marie finds her sparkling and sheltered world turned upside down by the Revolution.

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Pictured: Hannah Cabell, Jo Lampert, Brooke Bloom, Vin Knight, Polly Lee, and Teale Sperling.. Photo by Joan Marcus. Descriptions and image courtesy of American Repertory Theatre.

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ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION

This production was a world premiere written by David Adjami and directed by Rebecca Taichman. Performances began on February 2 at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, with press opening on Friday, September 7, 2012 and ran through Saturday, Setpember 29, 2012. The complete cast includes Brooke Bloom as Marie Antoinette, Fred Arsenault as Emperor Joseph of Austria, Hannah Cabell as Yolande de Polignac, David Greenspan as Sheep, Polly Lee as Therese de Lamballe, Steven Rattazzi as Louis xvi Jake Silbermann as Axel Fersen, Jo Lambert and Teale Sperling as Maries coterie, Vin Knight as the Royalist, Andrew Cekala as the Dauphin, and Brian Wiles as Guard.

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PROLOGUE

What would it take, I thought, to be able to work on a lobby installation at a real theatre? Would it be possible to somehow get involved and, instead of testing projects in the MassArt bubble, get some work in front of the theatre going public? Turns out: all you have to do is ask. Ask and you might be asked to work on a world premiere play.

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THE ART, IN ITS OWN WORDS

The American Repertory Theater (art)at Harvard University is dedicatedto expanding the boundaries of theater. Winner of the 2012Tony Award for Best Musical Revival for its production of TheGershwins
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Porgy and Bess, the art is a leading force in theAmerican theater, producing groundbreaking work in Cambridgeand beyond. The

art was founded in 1980 by Robert Brustein,who served as Artistic

Director until 2002, when he wassucceeded by Robert Woodruff. In 2008, Diane Paulus becamethe arts Artistic Director. The art is the recipient of numerousother awards including the Tony Award for Outstanding RegionalTheater, the Pulitzer Prize, and many Elliot the Powers:The Robots Opera was a 2012 Pulitzer Prize nominee. During its 32-year history, the art has welcomed many major American and international theater artists, presenting a diverserepertoire that includes premieres of American plays, boldreinterpretations of classical texts, and provocative new musictheater productions. The Norton and irneAwards. Its recent premiere production of Death and

art has performed throughout the U.S.and worldwide in 21 cities in 16 countries on four continents.The art is also a training ground
for young artists. The Theatersartistic staff teaches undergraduate

classes in acting, directing,dramatic literature, dramaturgy, voice, and design at HarvardUniversity. In 1987, the art founded the Institute for AdvancedTheater Training at Harvard University. A two-year,

five-semestermfa graduate program that operates in conjunction with theMoscow Art Theater School, the Institute provides world-classprofessional training in acting, dramaturgy, and voice. SOURCE: AMREP.ORG

THING HAPPENED

For a couple of seasons I have been aware of the art's lobby displays. They've run the gamut from educational posters (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess) to interactive displays (Wild Swans). They are well intended but feel, somehow, incomplete. I've always wanted them to take better advantage of space or to move into more complete experiences. For instance, for their production of Wild Swans there were some interesting pieces. Some beautiful murals produced specifically for the production, a small gallery of Chinese propaganda posters and a computer based experience where the audience could read personal stories of people who lived through the Chinese Communist Revolution. There were plenty of pieces but it was not arranged in a way that was created a complete experience. The large paintings in the lobby were hung in a corner, leaving the lobby with an imbalance. The computerand use a mouse to interactwhich made it difficult for more than one person to experience the stories at a time. In the box office lobby, the propaganda posters were arranged in just a small areainstead of throughout, which would have improved the flow of the spaceand were completely engulfed by the massive space surrounding them.
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based interaction was small and required users to stand at a tv screen

ACT 1
SETTING THE STAGE I contacted Jared Fine, the arts Marketing Manager, to ask about their lobby displays. I talked to him about my thesis work and about the fact that I was looking for some real world projects to include as case studies. Would it be possible, I asked, to join them for any of their upcoming productions. Sure enough, he invited me to meet with them about the lobby for their season opening production, Marie Antoinette, a new play by David Adjami. I went into my first meeting with the art staff not certain of my role in the process of developing a lobby display. Was I going to be in charge of the design? Was I to simply be a voice in the conversation? Was I just going to watch? I walked in prepared for anything having compiled a list of ideas for Marie Antoinette. The ideas ranged from the small to the extremely large. There were things that we would make and there were concepts that would require some major work. I tried to balance serious ideas about democracy with lighter ideas about celebrity. One thing I definitely wanted to do was open the door to possibilities for these lobby displays.

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MARIE CLOCK LE SCANDALE

LIBERT, EGALIT, FRATERNIT

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The meeting started in a way that startled me: I was asked, point blank, what I thought we could do. I started talking through my ideas: use Daniel Buckley's Prometheus Clock as a system to bring modern connections to the Marie story partner with a Harvard Museum to display butterflies (pinned and locked in cases, as Marie describes herself in the play) use Post-It Notes to capture thoughts and opinions a celebrity gossip tabloid reading library a visual timeline of Marie's life in the box office lobby images of Marie from tabloids of her day; after intermission these would turn around and show modern Marie equivalents, such as Princess Diana, Princess Grace, Michelle Obama a Marie Antoinette costume photo booth where the users choose a hat and the photo booth magically dressed them in the appropriate costume a magic mirror that would transform the lobby to one of the halls of Versailles an analog voting machine, though I was uncertain about what to have people vote on It was a great meeting with lots of excitement around the ideas. I was asked to type up the list of ideas and they would get back to me with a decision about what was to be done. Over the next few weeks, the ideas were presented up and down the halls of the theatre with each and every person being asked to provide opinions and adjustments to the idea. Finally, I was given approval for the Prometheus Clock, Post-It French Flag, and a Tabloid Library from A Treasury of Royal Scandals.
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ACT TWO
PUTTING IT TOGETHER

ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS CLOCK The Prometheus Clock is a dynamic videosculpture installation that creates a visual clock of the human experience. Using the YouTube api, my classmate Gabriel Schaffzin wrote an Open Frameworks application that requests the latest videos uploaded to the YouTube database and presents them in a four by four grid. A snippet of code allows us to then share those videos using the Syphon framework. Syphon is an open source Mac osx technology that allows applications to share video and still images with one another in real time. With the Syphon framework server running I used MadMapper, a projection mapping software, to map that grid of videos onto a geodesic dome structure. I mapped one video onto each hexagon and pentagon in the geodesic dome which creates an oversaturated multimedia experience. The feeling is similar to observing a bee hive. (Buckley, 213)

THE PROMETHEUS CLOCK What would we be displaying on the Prometheus Clock? In its original incarnation, the Clock would show the most recently uploaded videos to YouTube. Here, though, I wanted to see about a more curated experience. Could we use the Clock to present a more specific narrative? The software allowed for us to filter the videos by searching for specific keywords. Gabi recommended I start testing by just running some searches to see what the results were like. He mentioned that we could use several keywords at once. I loved this idea, which would allow us to present themes in opposition and allow the audience to make sense of the juxtaposition. In thinking of Marie Antoinette I was struck by the idea of the walls of Versailles. I started making lists of keywords that play with the difference between her life inside the palace and what was going on outside. The play was an obvious response to the Occupy movement and presented many themes around the 99% story of income inequality. I started looking at videos of Occupy Wall Street protests. The issue was that the videos were vague, and were often news reports. With a more specific search phrase I thought I could filter more deeply into more exciting imagery. My second try was much more successful and ended up being the first search term: occupy protest police brutality. The resultant videos were striking: angry mobs being attacked by police, smoke-filled streets, flashes of light against dark scenes. It was intense and violentthe perfect modern day equivalent of what was happening outside the walls of Maries royal life. Next I considered what could be used to show the other side. I didnt mind starting with the easy road: fashion. That keyword, though, was too vague. Suddenly, I had an image: police beating up protesters next to beautiful women walking runways in the latest fashions. Just adding one word and searching for fashion runway gave me what I needed. Gabi, Daniel and I arranged to bring the Clock to the art. There would be plenty to do to set up the piece: the lobbys wi-fi connection is inconsistent at best so we had to make other arrangements for

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the downloading of videos. Since we couldnt do it live, Gabi started downloading videos at school and we gathered plenty of videos to give the impression of a constantly updating gallery. Getting the equipment to the lobby was simple: Gabi, myself and a Zip Van. Early in the morning on the day of the first performance was when we were finally allowed access to the lobby and we showed up as early as we could. Daniel arrived to manage the physical installation while Gabi worked out the programming requirements. It took most of the afternoon, but they were able to get everything in working order for the first performance. A last minute request happened right before the opening performance. The art wanted to change the name of the piece. One of their previous shows, Prometheus Bound, had been a decent success and Marie Antoinette would be attracting the same type of audience. They were concerned that the name of the piece would confuse them, making them think there was some connection to that previous production. It was last minute and I was minutes away from creating the lobby signage, so we quickly landed on a new name: The Marie Clock.

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LIBERT EGALIT FRATERNIT The art had ordered red, white and blue Post-Its for the French flag. Members of the marketing staff and a group of interns were on hand to manually apply the sticky sheets to the window. Almost one thousand Post-Its were placed across six windows to create the striking display. By making the piece this large, we created that striking A-level piece for the lobby. Because we chose the center windows, the piece completely anchored the lobby. Roughly 3 feet were left empty at the top of the windows to write the audience prompts. The specific prompts were the source of some consternation for all involved. The art was interested in creating some very specific questions for the audience: What would you say to Marie if she were alive today? Do you agree with Marie? I turned to Daniel, who had done much work with these types of quick audience engagements, to ask about the style of the prompts. He pointed out a very simple, matter-of-fact thing to think about: you need a very low barrier of
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entry for the audience. There is maybe a two second time frame where you have the opportunity to get the user involved. If the prompt is too difficult it may make the user feel unable to participate, making it appear to be difficult. The prompt must be open enough to respond with a drawing, or a word or a series of words. For me, this became about making sure that there is no wrong answer. Anything and everything is acceptable. There was the added challenge of making sure that our prompts spoke the language of the showthat our question did not come out of thin airand that it connect to the French flag that we were asking people to write on. With three colors on the windows, it was apparent that we needed three prompts. Rather than thinking of three distinct questions, we needed to consider them a series. I started pushing for something simple but connected: lets ask what people think of the ideals that drove the French Revolution. What do these ideals mean today? Daniel recommended that we find a way to guide the audience into answering the questions rather than just asking. I presented Libert is..., Egalit is..., and Fraternit is... as our prompts. They were thrilled with the idea and I created a stencil to write the prompts on the window. In front of the windows we hung markers for the audience to write with. When finished, the effect was striking.

THING HAPPENED

LE SCANDALE Content creation for Le Scandale was placed in the hands of the art. The marketing staff used A Treasury of Royal Scandals as inspiration to find trifling but salacious stories to share with the audience. The original concept of Le Scandale was to create a reading room. We wanted to make these to be presented on a series of long sticks, like one would find broadsheets in a library. There would be a rack of these reading sticks with some seating in the corner of the lobby. When I was told, however, that we needed to make these completely using their in-house copy machine I knew that we would not be able to effectively produce a series of broadsheets. It would have to be done on 1117 paper. This sent me back to the drawing board. While thinking about other ways to display these tabloids, it occurred to me to provide the audience with something they could take home. It would be great to create a newsstand of sorts to display these things. Consequently, I designed a new tabloid that could be printed doublesided on 1117 and look great printed on their copy machine.
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Le Scandale
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H E N R Y

V I I I

WAT C H

You Wont Believe Who Hank

BEHEaDED THiS TiME!

A THING HAPPENED

EmprEss AnnA

Queen Mary THE sErvEs HEr

r Ev EngE

ExtrA

The Empress Anna of Russia had a knack for conjuring up the most embarrassing of punishments when she was displeased. In one case, three nobles who had managed to get on the empresss bad side were condemned to live like hens for a week. Dressed in feathers and made to roost in specially outfitted nestscomplete with eggs the unfortunate gentleman were ordered to sit and cluck until the sentence was complete. This was mild compared to the ordeal another noble, Prince Michael Alexsyevitch Golitsin, had to face. He had the nerve to marry a woman not to Annas liking, and this made her angry. So angry, in fact, that she stripped him of his title and transformed the erstwhile aristocrat into a court jester. But this was just the beginning. When the wife he had chosen for himself died in 1790, Anna decided it was her turn to select a mate for him. She chose a woman who was reportedly one of the ugliest ladies in Russia. For the wedding party, Anna dug into her collection of deformed and freakish human beings to lead a procession of drunkards and other low lifes, all pulled in carriages by goats and pigs. The happy couple followed, in a cage, as the crowds gathered to watch. After the wedding ceremony and breakfast reception, it was time for the honeymoonno doubt one of the chilliest on record. The spot Anna had selected for them was right on the banks of the frozen Neva River. Her wedding present was a palace there made entirely of ice. It was a huge structure, complete with a honeymoon suite that included an ice bed and ice pillows. Outside, ice statues and ice trees were carved, with little ice birds perched upon them. There were even six ice cannons that actually fired. As the wedding party cheered them on, the newlyweds were forced inside the ice palace and ordered to bed down and consummate the marriage. Somehow they did, despite the frigid temperature. Nine months later, ornery old Anna was dead. At about the same time, Golitsins wife presented him with twin boys. Despite the circumstances of their less-than-fairytale union, it was said that the couple did in fact live happily ever after.

Cold!

Britains Queen Mary was quite a collector. Though she favored valuable little knickknacks and objets dart, she didnt like paying for them. Mary had other ways of getting what she wanted and no home she visited was safe from acquisitive glance. I am caressing it with my eyes, she would coyly whisper upon spotting a particular item she wantedthis little routine was often enough for the owner to insist immediately that she have it. As Queen Marys collection grew larger, those who regularly hosted her began to take precautions whenever she came for a visit. Anything they thought the queen might like was stashed away until the royal assault was over. Not everyone fell for the queens charms, however. When she was collecting miniature items for her elaborate dollhouse, she persuaded famous authors of the time to donate tiny volumes of their works. A whole library was assembled, with one holdout. George Bernard Shaw rebuffed the queens request, noted her daughter, in a very rude manner. Basically he told her where she could stick her little book.

KlEpto?
HEnry II snAps!
Henry II was a model for the ideal monarch: strong, judicious, and fair. Many historians, in fact, credit this twelfth-century king as the father of English Common Law. But Henry had a serious flaw: a blinding temper that tended to diminish his royal dignity. Besides his treacherous family, King Henry is perhaps best remembered for his deadly dispute with Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, over the relative rights of Church and State. Exasperated by Beckets intransigence, Henry screeched, Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest? Several knights, hoping to please the king, took him literally at his word and slaughtered the archbishop in his own cathedral. As a result of Henrys fit of pique, Becket was launched immediately into sainthood while the king was reduced to wearing sackcloth and ashes in repentance. While this is the most famous example of the royal temper, it is by no means the most illustrative. Henry looked positively regal in his sackcloth compared to the spectacle he made of himself over a conflict with King William of Scotland. The scene is preserved in a letter written by John of Salisbury: I heard that when the king was at Caen and was vigorously debating the matter of the king of Scotland, he broke out in abusive language against Richard du Hommet for seeming to speak somewhat in the king of Scotlands favor, calling him a manifest traitor. And the king, flying into his usual temper, flung his cap from his head, pulled off his belt, threw off his cloak and clothes, grabbed the silken coverlet off the couch, and sitting as it might be on a dungheap, started chewing pieces of straw.

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wHo worE It bEst?

ExcErpts from

A Treasury of Royal Scandals by michael farquhar penguin (2001)

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NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!

Catherine the Great loved horses. She also loved sex. Contrary to popular legend, however, she never managed to unite the two passions. Still, the autocratic empress of Russia brought all the enthusiasm of a vigorous ride to her extremely busy bedroom. After ridding herself of her imbecile husband Peter III, Catherine grabbed the Russian crown and came to dominate her kingdom for the next thirty-four years. Boldly indulging herself as she grew more secure in her position, the empress consumed handsome young lovers with an appetite that sometimes shocked her contemporaries. The empress relished her weakness for men she loved being entertained, even into old age, by a succession of well-formed young studs eager to please her. It is my misfortune that my heart cannot be content, even for one hour, without love, she wrote. Sharing the empresss bed brought ample rewards, not the least of which was an intimate proximity to power, but getting there wasnt easy. A good body and a pleasant face, combined whenever possible with wit and intelligence, were merely starters. Potential lovers also had to have the right pedigree and pass a crucial test. Catherine had several ladies-in-waitingtest drivers of sortswhose job it was to ensure that all candidates for their mistresss bed were up to the highly demanding task of satisfying her. The applicants were most often supplied by the empresss oneeyed ex-loverthe man many assumed to be her secret husband Gregory Potemkin. She had fallen in love with this rough, hulking officer relatively early in her industrious sexual career, overcome by his brash courage, quick wit, and almost primitive sexuality. Wasting little time disposing of her boyfriend at the time, Catherine was delighted the first night Potemkin came to her bedroom, naked under his nightshirt and ready for action. Because of his long greasy hair, and brutish unwashed body, many women found Potemkin repulsive. Catherine, however, reveled in his strength, charm, and sexual domination. She couldnt get enough of this strange man who made her forget her royal dignity. The empresss powerful lover is perhaps best remembered for the legendary Potemkin Villages he is said to have created for her benefit as she embarked on a grand tour of all the newly Russianized lands he had conquered for her. There villages were little more than elaborate stage sets of prosperous towns, populated by cheerful serfs, all of which were quickly collapsed and set up again at the next stop on Catherines carefully plotted itinerary. This may sound familiar to those readers who followed the similarly superficial rustication of Marie Antoinettes palace grounds, in the form of Le Hameau de la Reine. The sexual intensity between Catherine and Potemkin dimmed after only a few years. No longer champion of the empresss boudoir, Potemkin resolved to retain her favor by pimping his replacements. Each new favorite was feted and adored by the passionate monarch; but each was eventually dismissed, either for boring Catherine or breaking her heart. Few, however, left her service without a handsome settlement. When Zavadovsky was dismissed in 1776, for example, Chevalier de Corberon, the French charg daffaires in Russia, wrote that He has received from Her Majesty 50,000 rubles, a pension of 5,000, and 4,000 peasants in the Ukraine You must agree, my friend, that its not a bad line of work to be in here. All told, the generous payments to fallen lovers amounted to billions of dollars in todays currency.

FAnCy A romp wItH tHE EMPRESS?

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THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK

GAY RUMORS?

worsE tHAn HArry?

You choose which is worse: Prince Harrys Vegas antics or the deeds of his predecessors.

nAZI sympAtHIZEr?

A doZEn ACKnowlEdgEd IllEgItImAtE CHIldrEn

EXCERPTS FROM

FAmEd womAnIZEr And tErrIbly

IndEbtEd

A Treasury of Royal Scandals by Michael Farquhar Penguin (2001)

In Dumass classic tale, Louis XIVs identical twin brother is locked away with his face obscured so as not to pose a threat to the Sun King. The truth is that Louis and Philippe looked little alike. Monsieur, as he was called, was never imprisoned, either. He was rendered unthreatening not by an iron mask, but by the constant encouragement he received as a young boy to engage in all his frilly interestscourt observer Saint Simon writes: He was forever dressing like a woman, with rings, bracelets and gems everywhere; a long, black powdered wig frilled in the front, ribbons wherever he could put them, and all kinds of perfumes. Thus, Monsieur was forever distracted from politics, preferring wig fittings and gossipy soirees to vying for his brothers throne. Although the king was generally unkind to homosexuals, he made an exception for his brother. Monsieur was accorded the highest prominence at court, and Louis was very affectionate toward him. He actually seemed to enjoy his brothers incessant chattering, and even tolerated his periodic snit fits. Yet despite his flamboyant appearance and feminine behavior, Monsieur proved himself a brave warrior. Leading his troops into battle wearing blush, jewels, and a perfectly coiffed wig, the duke fought without fear. He was more afraid of the sun, or the black smoke of gunpowder, than he was of musket bullets, his wife once remarked.

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Le Scandale
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positions through arranged matrimony. This was a particularly rich and ancient tradition in the empresss Habsburg family line. Crown Prince Joseph, as heir to the throne, was given top priority in the marriage market. After his first arranged marriage ended in disaster, Joseph was given a choice of two brides, neither of whom stirred much desire in him. I prefer not to marry either, he announced to his mother, but since you are holding a knife to my throat, I will take [Princess Josepha of Bavaria], because, from what I hear, she at least has fine breasts. Josephas breasts, alas, were a disappointment, along with the rest of her. She was short, thickset, and painfully ugly with festering sores all over her body and bad teeth. Joseph was repulsed by his bride and avoided her at all costs. They want me to have children, he wrote despondently. How can we have them? If I could put the tip of my finger on the tiniest part of her body, which was not covered with pimples, I would try to have children. Poor Josepha, abandoned and humiliated, suddenly died of smallpox like her predecessor, though this time her husband was not particularly moved by grief. Maria Theresa betrothed her second-youngest child, Caroline, to Ferdinand, the child-king of Naples, renowned for his stupidity. He was so dumb, in fact, that his father decided he should be spared the rigors of an education. Bitterly homesick, Caroline called her life in Naples, a martyrdom, and wrote: I now know what marriage is, and I have a deep pity for [youngest sister] Antoinette who has yet to experience marriage. I admit frankly that I would rather die than be forced to live again what I have gone through. If I had not been taught by religion to think of God, I should have killed myself, for it was hell to live like that for a week. I shall weep bitterly if ever my sister is in the same situation. Sadly, young Antoinette found herself in a very similar situation. She was pawned off to the dauphin of France, the future King Louis XVI, in what her mother considered the ultimate diplomatic coup with Austrias ancient enemy. Louis was hardly the prince young girls dream about. He was, quite frankly, a rude, pudgy, seemingly asexual loser, with filthy hygiene to boot. The Neapolitan ambassador remarked that the dauphin seemed to have been born and raised in a forest, while Madame DuBarry, mistress of his grandfather, Louis XV, called him a fat, illbred boy. Though Louis and Marie would eventually reach an accommodation after Louis inherited the French throne, the ill-fated couple would have little time to enjoy it. Their frivolous new lifestyle was disrupted by a pesky revolution that would claim both their heads.

Austrian Empress Maria Theresa should not be judged too harshly for the series of miserable marriages she arranged for her large brood of children in the late eighteenth century. Sure, dynastic and diplomatic considerations took precedence over any potential happiness they might have enjoyed in the arrangements, but, in her defense, the empress probably had no notion of what wedded bliss meant. She was, after all, married to a shameless philanderer who humiliated her with his numerous and less than discreet affairs. Despite her displeasure, and the fact that she held all the power as the sovereign of both Austria and Hungary, Empress Maria Theresa could do nothing to rein in her wayward husband. Instead, she became obsessed with controlling the moral conduct of her subjects. With its opulent theaters, grand opera houses, and an up-and-coming talent by the name of Mozart, the glittering city of Vienna was a cosmopolitan mecca in the midst of a cultural wasteland. It was a city of free adultery, as one visitor put it. And it was here that Emperor Franciss lifestyle thrived. Transferring her anger at her husbands betrayals, Maria Theresa established her Chastity Commission, a special department of the police charged with suppressing vice. The purity patrols were everywhere, infiltrating theaters, social gatherings, and even private homes. Anyone suspected of being less than upright was arrested, while foreigners accused of corrupting the local citizenry were banished from the kingdom. Some said the betrayed empress herself

played a part in the commission, disguising herself and roaming Vienna in search of her wayward man. When she wasnt storming the bedrooms of her people, Maria Theresa busied herself inflicting marriage on her helpless children. Like many royal offspring, they were to be used as political capital, helping to strengthen their parents

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I ABHOR YOU
Frederick William I, the crude, obese, bigoted eighteenth-century ruler of Prussia, who seems to have had a particularly virulent loathing of his eldest son, Frederick. It didnt take the prince long after his birth to begin aggravating the bully king. A frail and sickly child, young Frederick was a gross insult to his fathers vision of what constituted a future monarch. Frederick William would storm into the boys nursery, mercilessly poking and prodding him as if he were some odious specimen. As the boy grew older, the treatment grew worse. Holding that all learned men are fools, the blustering king hated the arts, literature, and science. Indeed he went out of his way to insult members of the esteemed Acade-

FrEdErICK wIllIAm I to JUnIor:

EXCERPTS FROM

A Treasury of Royal Scandals by Michael Farquhar Penguin (2001)

my of Sciences founded by his own father. Young Frederick had the misfortune of naturally embracing the very pursuits his father so despised. He was regularly beaten and tormented by the king, left tearful and trembling in his presence. Determined to eradicate all the cultured interests his son pursued, King Frederick William ordered a Spartan regimen intended to mold the boy into a miniature version of himselfa cruel and hostile tyrant. As for music, plays, and other dissipations, young Fredericks tutors were ordered, on pain of death, to inspire him with a disgust of them. The father would flip at any perceived foppish behavior on the part of his son, once beating him senseless for using a three-pronged silver fork instead of the standard two-pronged steel one. King Frederick William was growing increasingly paranoid of a plot to kill him, imagining his son at the center of it. He once accused the prince in the presence of half a dozen Prussian officers of intending to murder him, not in a direct attack, since you are too cowardly, but by stabbing him in the back. Another encounter led the king to strike his cringing son repeatedly, saying contemptuously, Had I been treated so by my father, I would have blown my brains out. But this fellow has no honor, he takes all that comes. To escape his fathers relentless brutality, Frederick determined to seek refuge at the court of his cousin George II in England. But his plan was discovered, and the prince was arrested and sent to a hellish prison. The king then ordered Frederick and his friend, Lt. Hans von Katte, court-martialed. The military tribunal refused to try Frederick, however, calling it a family matter, but it sentenced von Katte to life imprisonment. Waving aside their verdict, the king sought his own revenge. Von Katte was beheaded, while Frederick was forced to watch. Eventually humbling himself before his father, Prince Frederick was able to effect a tenuous peace. He then had only to wait quietly for the kings demise. His patience paid off and he assumed the throne in 1740 at age twenty-eight. He would be known to the world as Frederick the Great famed poet, musician, and military giant who set the stage for the emergence of the German Empire.

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I gave the art some options for paper that we could use. It would be disappointing to just print these on regular copy paper, and that little detail could play a major role in our appreciation of the piece. They seemed delighted with the suggestions, but I found out a week before the first performance that they were unable to purchase any paper and that we would have to use the copy paper or nothing at all. What a disappointment! Its the little details that really matter. On stage, if a character's shoes are from the wrong time period it may cause an audience member to step outside of the play and start to think about shoes. A missing details may send an unintended message that the designer and/or director did not do all of the necessary homework. The same applies in design: anything that might cause a user to step outside of the intended experience must be taken care of. One simply must not leave threads untied. It was left untied, though. I could not just let it slide and created the
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faintest background possible for these tabloids. It was practically unnoticeable but worked for the art staff. My designs for these sheets played up the whimsical nature of the stories. I wanted to make the sensational scandals into a partymuch like the first act of Marie Antoinette. Experiencing the tabloids during intermission or after the show might force the audience to question their part in the culture of celebrity. To present the tabloids in the lobby, I wanted to create a large display in the windows. We gathered tension rods, the type that curtains are hung with, and draped the papers over them. Two windows, each with six rows of papers. With the striking imagery and typography, they looked beautiful hung over the windows.

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ACT THREE
OPENING NIGHT Because I was working at the theatre during the first performance, I was able to watch the lobby be experienced by the first audience. At first, it was completely disheartening. From my desk I could see that no one was stopping to look at the Clock. I ran to the lobby once the show had begun and noticed that none of the Post Its had been written on and none of the tabloids had been taken. It looked like all of our work had been completely ignored. I was disheartened, but knew that this was a test. I wondered if there was something more that could be done. Then I started thinking about this audience. They were nervous, trepidatious about seeing this show. It was a world premiereno one had ever seen it before. There were no friends or critics telling them what to expect. Maybe they didnt feel comfortable opening themselves to an experience before the show. Maybe it was all too much. Intermission came and went. I went back to the lobby to see if anything had changed. I was shockedand delightedto see that it had completely changed! Not only had the Post-Its been put to good use, but the tabloids had been picked clean. It was absolutely thrilling to see. At the end of the night, as I watched the audience leave, many of them were carrying the tabloids. It appeared as if they were taking them home to read, effectively continuing the performance into their homes.
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ACT FOUR
SETTLING IN FOR A LONG RUN There were challenges running this lobby for the month of the show. The West Lobby in the Loeb Drama Center is not just a lobby for the auditorium. It is also a classroom for acting, dance and movement. It is also a hallway. It is also a meeting place. Consequently, there is often an unattended and uninitiated audience in there. Throughout the run I was constantly being called to go up to the theatre because the Marie Clock wasnt working. Often it was a programming issue. After the four or fifth time running up there, Gabi and I installed LogMeIn on the machine so he could make adjustments remotely. The biggest problem for the Marie Clock, however, was the fact that people kept touching it. The projection mapping set up made the piece incredibly delicate. If the dome, the box or the projector were moved, it would ruin the effect. It appears that regular users of the West Lobby were completely incapable of keeping their hands off the clock.
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The same went for the actual audiences. Even after we installed some very obtrusive Do Not Touch signs on the clock, people could not stop themselves from reaching over and stroking the surface. A friend of mine went to the show and informed me that people just kept poking it. In the second week, after discovering the Clock project in incredibly disarray, I was on the verge of uninstalling the piece completely. Daniel, Gabi and I stopped by to do a little tune-up and found it completely out of alignment. I saw Jared and had a talk with him, mentioning that it might be best to just take the piece out of the lobby. He was shocked at the lack of respect that people had for the piece and vowed to speak to each and every person who enters that lobby during the day. It was decided that we would leave the piece up for another week and reconsider. After that, less time was put into monitoring the clock. It remained in decent shape with only the occasional slight adjustment needed. The other pieces were not difficult to maintain. The front of house staff took care of restocking Le Scandale at every performance. They added a section to their House Manager Reports to notify the marketing staff if more prints would be needed for the next performance. In the end, thousands of copies of the tabloid had been taken away. Libert, Egalit, Fraternit was even easier to maintain. We lost no Sharpies during the run. It was a joy, at every opportunity, to look at the different responses. There were simple one-word responses,
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drawings, sentences, and more. Some responded directly to others notes. Some even got creative by adjusting the placement of the Post Its. Under Libert is... one person wrote, The freedom to move this post it and moved it above the rest of them.

CURTAIN CALL
CONCLUSIONS I took some time to sit and observe a few of the audiences during the run. I was surprised by their actions before the show. It was something I had never considered before. Upon entering the West Lobby after having their tickets torn, audience members would either walk directly into the auditorium to find their seats, or stop at the restroom or at the bar. There was no hanging out in the lobby. No one was meeting friends, or having a discussion before the show. They all seemed to have one goal in mind: find their seats and get ready for the show. This was a much simpler answer to the lack of pre-show participation I had witnessed during the first performance. And it makes a ton of sense. The art of entering the theatre for a performance is all about the act of seeing the show. In general, people are worried about being late or of finding their seats or of getting to the restroom before the show begins. People tend to meet up outside the theatre, so the social aspect is taken care of pre-lobby. Its during intermission that the lobby opens up. The pressure of arrival is gone, the show has begun and this break is a chance to relax. Marie Antoinettes first act is a lively affair, with crazy costumes, anachronistic music and funny dialogue. It ends with a bang, quite literally, as Maries world is turned upside down and she and her family are taken into captivity. The audience is turned out into the real world just as the play reaches a fever pitch. Theyre sent into the lobby completely energized, and thats when they really see the stuff waiting there for them. When entering the stage, an actor must be aware of where he or she is coming from. Is it cold outside? Were they chased in by a screaming mob? Its the moment before the scene. We must consider this with our audiences, too. Where are they coming from before entering an experience? Do the designers of banking applications consider the fact that some will mostly be using the app to deal with dire financial challenges? That is the moment before.
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A MER ICA N R EPERTORY THEATR E LOBBY II

GLASS MENAGERIE
None of this would have been possible without strong community involvement, either as my d m i colleagues spending a Saturday writing on walls or Adam Marchards friends helping him build a wall out of some windows. A lobby doesnt have to be organized and built by one person alone.
Glass Menagerie Lobby

THE

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SYNOPSIS OF THE PLAY

Amanda Wingfield is a faded, tragic remnant of Southern gentility who lives in poverty in a dingy St. Louis apartment with her son, Tom, and her daughter, Laura. Amanda strives to give meaning and direction to her life and the lives of her children, though her methods are ineffective and irritating. Tom is driven nearly to distraction by his mother's nagging and seeks escape in alcohol and the world of the movies. Laura also lives in her illusions. She is crippled, and this defect, intensified by her mother's anxiety to see her married, has driven her more and more into herself. The crux of the action comes when Tom invites a young man of his acquaintance to take dinner with the family. Jim, the caller, is a nice ordinary fellow who is at once pounced upon by Amanda as a possible husband for Laura. In spite of her crude and obvious efforts to entrap the young man, he and Laura manage to get along very nicely, and momentarily Laura is lifted out of herself into a new world. But this crashes when, toward the end, Jim explains that he is already engaged. The world of illusion that Amanda and Laura have striven to create in order to make life bearable collapses about them. Tom, too, at the end of his tether, at last leaves home.
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ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION

This production marks the arts first foray into the world of Tennessee Williams. Performances began on February 2 at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, with press opening on Wednesday, February 6 and ran through Sunday, March 17, 2013. It was directed by Tony Award-winning director John Tiffany and starred multiple Tony and Emmy Award winner Cherry Jones as Amanda Wingfield, Zachary Quinto as Tom, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Laura, and Brian J. Smith as the Gentleman Caller. The Tony Awardwinning design team includes set and costumes by Bob Crowley, lighting by Natasha Katz, and sound by Clive Goodwin.

Zachary Quinto and Cherry Jones in The Glass Menagerie. Photo by Michael J. Lutch. Descriptions and image courtesy of American Repertory Theatre.

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PROLOGUE

I tend to work best under the gun. Gunta Kaza often mentions that. The more quickly I need to react to a prompt, the more I trust my gut and the better the work is. It must come from years of practice as a procrastinator. It was, therefore, an exciting challenge when the art approached me to work on a second lobby for them. With four weeks to go before opening, Jared Fine, the art Marketing Manager, saw me and remarked that we should chat about The Glass Menagerie. He said that they had been completely thrilled with the Marie Antoinette lobby and were sad that their subsequent show, Pippin, had not had a similarly designed lobby experience. Would it be possible, he asked, to work together for the next show? We scheduled a meeting for the next week and started brainstorming ideas. I reviewed what had worked for Marie, namely the Post-Its and the takeaway. I decided that the limitations and challenges of that space would make another digital piece too much of a challenge with such little time left. In fact, in our meeting I declared that this

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would be a computer-less lobby design. Though they agreed with me that that would be the right course, I could sense a little disappointment. A big change from the Marie Antoinette lobby was how I envisioned our use of the space. In the West Lobby, I thought we could focus on thematic elements from the show: collection, nostalgia, family. In the Box Office Lobby, we could present educational material about Tennessee Williams, his family and the South, all of which is important in The Glass Menagerie. With time so short, we agreed that we should think of this lobby as a curation opportunity rather than a creation one. They mentioned that they had recently heard about an installation at a local gallery the dealt with themes of collection and nostalgia. It sounded like the right track and if the artist was interested, it would be a great addition to the lobby. I set off to create a presentation that would be shared with the art staff for approval and comments.

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Glass Menagerie Lobby

THE CONCEPTS
INTRODUCING: TOM Objective: introduce the audience to the world of Tennessee Williams and of the South. A simple display of large images in the Box Office Lobby. To the left and right of the doors, large and striking photography will be reproduced and hung on the walls with descriptions for each. INSIDE OUR MINDS Objective: Create a completely immersive journey into the minds of the Williams family. Using writings from Tennessee Williams, his mother and his sister (letters, essays, poetry, plays), the West Lobby windows will be completely covered with hand writing. The audience will be able to stroll around the lobby catching glimpses of statements.
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MIRRORS: OPTION 1 THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Objective: Provide an opportunity for reflection and introspection during the show. Secondarily, create an instgramable experience for the audience. At heart, a simple display of a variety of types of antique mirrors. The display can also be seen as a chance for introspection and reflection as you reflect on yourself and the experience of the show. There will be subtle prompts for the user to share photographs of themselves in the mirrors on Instagram and Twitter. MIRRORS: OPTION 2 IF YOU BREATHE, IT BREAKS Objective: Same as above. Taking the previous iteration a step further, some of the mirrors should be shattered, displaying a sense of danger and a completely distorted view of reality. INVENTORY With Inventory, Adam H. Marchand has cataloged thirty years worth of his possessions on index cards. On each card (there are 2,500) he has typed a brief narrative about how the item came into his life. The items range from bookmarks to bicycles to bike saddles, and everything in-between. The cards are organized according to a serial number scheme, and are held in a card catalog that Adam built. Photographs of the items hang on the walls of the gallery. Visitors are invited to crossreference photos of the items with the cards in the catalog according to their serial numbers. For the West Lobby, we would present the catalog near the television screen and hang the cards on the front windows.

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The imagery used in the proposal for the Glass Menagerie lobby. Creating composite imagery to show the concepts provided the theatre staff enough information to gain approval for the lobby design. The lower image shows artist Adam Marchand standing in front of his installation, Inventory, at a gallery in Somerville.

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Glass Menagerie Lobby

INTRODUCING: TOM INVENTORY

INSIDE OUR MINDS

Diagram of the Loeb Drama Center showing the placement of each piece of the Glass Menagerie lobby.
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ACT ONE: PUTTING IT TOGETHER

The art staff and artistic team were ecstatic about the ideas presented. It definitely helped to provide visuals with the descriptions and to present the space planning. This was something I wish I had done for Marie Antoinette, not only to better explain the concepts but to have less miscommunication during the installation. The only piece that was cut was the mirror windows. INSIDE OUR MINDS The art had collected several letters between Tennessee Williams, his mother and his sister. I thought that sounded like the perfect content for our compulsive window writing. The process of this window writing would be very simple and hopefully not terribly time consuming. I arranged for several classmates to join me on a Saturday for a day Fitzloff, the Director of Marketing, was on hand to help. We spent the day writing these letters over and over again on the windows. Despite how tedious that might sound, it was an incredibly enjoyable experience at once a great communal event and a moment for the solitude you can find in mundane activities. of writing. The art provided a pile of glass markers for us and Anna
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Thanks to the volunteer window-writers: Yael Alkalay Daniel Buckley Anna Fitzloff Grace Geller Sofie Hodara Ceren Payda Martha Rettig Jeremy Sherman

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INVENTORY Adam Marchand was on board to bring Inventory to the theatre and we met to discuss logistics. Without the mirrors, his was suddenly thrust into the spotlight as the anchoring A-level piece in the lobby. I had no specific ideas for how we would present these pictures in the winlist and a tv monitor. Not only did we need to figure out how to hang the pictures, but we needed a place to anchor a ladder so people could access the top drawers of the card catalog. I definitely needed to keep Inventory in a strong position in the lobby, and we were all leaning toward putting it the front corner of the room, directly across from the main entrance to the lobby. With only windows, however, there was nothing to drill into for ladder support. The solution for this was simple, though time-consuming and expensive. We decided to build a temporary wall in front of the windows, using the window frames as support. It was designed to be strong enough to support not only the card catalog ladder but also the weight of an audience member. In addition, it also would create the perfect little space for viewing the collection. Most exciting, though, was the way that it would transform the space. Adam and his friends set off to plan and build his wall and to install his piece. dowed lobby. The walls are all in use for institution pieces like a cast

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INTRODUCING TOM... Using images from the archives at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, we created a simple display of images of the Williams family, who were the inspiration for the characters in The Glass Menagerie. They were positioned on the wall opposite the box office in a space where the general public could view them without having to purchase a ticket. Classmate Jeremy Sherman facilitated the printing and mounting of the images and they were delivered to the theatre just moments before Blizzard Nemo hit Boston. It was a very dramatic entrance for what is an incredibly simple and elegant installation. The images attracted a lot of attention for the playgoers and other theatre visitors. Simple captions provided context for the images in a way that allowed for quick reading as people hurried past; yet the imagery was rich enough to be examined for the entire 15-minute intermission. The castCherry Jones, Zachary Quinto, Celia Keenan-Bolger and
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Brian J. Smitha lso quite enjoyed looking at the photo gallery. They were playing characters based on these very real people. At the end of the run a request came from management: the cast would like to take some of the pictures home with them. There are hopes for a Broadway transfer of this production in the Fall of 2013 and I like to imagine these pictures will be hanging in their dressing rooms during the run.

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TEXT FOR THE INSIDE OUR MINDS WINDOW WRITING

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Dearest Brother: How is my biggest love? I didnt see much of you during the holidays but you are still the salt in my stew that is, unless Ann Jean has taken my place in your heart. All is quiet on the Williams front. I am slowly recovering from my cold and will preside at Sunday School to-morrow as usual. My class won the automobile race, that is, they had the largest Easter offering. I have a date with Carter to-night. His cousin, Miss Scott, is in town. He called me up twice to make sure that I would call cousin Birdie up since she had been so kind to Dorthea and me. He seems so afraid that I wont make a favorable imprint on the family. I am going to pose for Mrs. Ver Steeg again Monday. I had been unable to this week because of my cold. She said that she is going to open her country home Sunday, which is in the woods near St. Louis. She has invited me to visit her there. Cora, Cuffy and Park are well and send their regards. Mrs. Austin seems very much worried at present about my spiritual development. I wish she thought me as sanctified as your frat brother. She thinks that Dr. Blocks Sunday School has gone to rack and ruin with Carter and me in there. Smoking, Dancing card playing Sunday School teachers! Behave yourself and as I think I heard one of your honorable brothers remark Keep Cure. (?) Tell him that I have psychic powers and can predict his past, probably slightly tarnished, present and future for only fifty cents. Tell him that I have become an artists model because of my pure, angelic and undefiled appearance. With much love, Rose.
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Dear folks I got a wire from Laurette asking me to call her long distance as she had something to tell me very important. I called her yesterday it seems that Menagerie is going to give a command performance for the President and Washington dignitaries in Washington on Jan. 27th. Laurette insists that I must come up for it. If Audrey approves, I shall as it is inquestionably a big occasion. I will arrange either to go or

every day, writing on this or that, better off doing nothing. I keep draining creative energies that dont seem to build up again.

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been back on the gentleman caller lately, and it has turned into a comedy bordering on fantasy and is probably an abortion. No deep urge to create it. but all I desire in the world is to create something big and vital. If only I could make myself find some groove that would permit it stop for a while and get fresh for a major work on some strong theme.

Dear Folks: Ive been getting together and arranging my papers which is an all-day job and tires me more than anything else and puts me into a terrible humor, so I really shouldnt try to write a letter. But I think of you all waiting to hear from me, so I cant put it off any longer. You know I would write much oftener if I didnt get so sick of the typewriter by the close of the day when there is time for letters. I havent had a picture assignment for the last two weeks and have
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been happily devoting myself to my own work. It has been marvelously bright and warm every day, like a continual ideal spring season, only the nights very cool. How I wish you all could get away from the awful summers and winters in Saint Louis! Really the middle-west doesnt seem fit to live in after California. No wonder people are sick so much in that part of the country, and so well out here, apparently. I hope some day you will get rid of all property out there and settle in this country. I will always travel around, I guess, but this or New Mexico is the place to have a home. With Margo Jones here and Horton Foote from New York working at another studio, I have been going out more and meeting more people. Something doing almost every night. Margo is going to produce You Touched Me at the famous Pasadena Playhouse. Right now it seems the production will be postponed till November when the bigger stage and better actors would be available. She is planning to give up her $300. a month job at the University of Texas just to stay out here and put on this play, she is so crazy about it. Hopes that she will obtain financial backing to transfer it to the stage in New York. It is a big gamble for her to take, and of course I appreciate it enormously. She is a very remarkable person. Had seven years experience as director of the theatre in Houston, Texas, traveled around the world, spent a year in India and written a book on Hindu philosophy. And is just thirty years old.

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I got a letter from Rose, in addition to the one you sent me. It is obvious that she still has her delusions, and I dont see how she could live outside an institution of some kind. She asked me to send her ice-cream and chocolate candy, or some money to buy it, but also said that she and all her friends were dying. I will try and find a suitable present for her and send it out there. The sinus trouble has cleared up entirely, and I am feeling quite well. I will probably have a new picture assignment in a few days. Love, Tom I think the war will be over before Dakin gets through training.

Dear Mother The Christmas box came this morning, just in time, as I am going to move back to Manhattan tomorrow. I find it too inconvenient living in Brooklyn and the hotel a bit too expensive. I did not at all understand the news about Rose. What kind of operation was it and what for? I have had to continue work on the play. Mrs. Wharton expects a lot of changes for her money and I can tell you it is quite a job satisfying her without making dangerous changes in the script. The Theatre Guild is also interested, so we now have two fish on the line, though neither is altogether landed. If an early production is not forth-coming, I may come home for a while. It seems dreadfully long since Ive seen you all. Im ashamed to say I still have those silly little Xmas presents I was going to send you in my bureau. Now I think I will just bring them home with me when I come, as I am no good at wrapping packages and they are all kind of useless things anyway. If I come home it will be in the next few weeks. Please let me know exactly what was done with Rose and Dakins address again I lost it. Ive never had so many things to attend to as just lately. Love, Tom. I loved all the things you sent in box Eating the cookies right now still fresh!
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ARTWORK FOR THE LOBBY POSTERS

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NEWSPAPER CLIPPING A profile of Tennessee Williams circa 1945 by William Inge, drama critic for the St. Louis Times. Upon seeing The Glass Menagerie, Inge became a playwright himself, finding success with plays including Picnic and Bus Stop. This profile mentions a production of Williams first play, The Battle of Angels, in Boston: The play was a serious treatment of sex and love which Boston, typically, found highly objectionable.

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BABY TOM AND EDWINA Tom, 3 years old, with mother Edwina Dakin Williams (circa 1914).

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NOTEBOOK EXCERPT An undated page from Tennessee Williams notebooks. He expresses his frustration and desire to create something big and vital, and mentions returning to the gentleman caller, (an early title for The Glass Menagerie) which has turned into a comedy bordering on fantasy.

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TOM AND ROSE AS CHILDREN Tom (about 3) with his older sister, Rose (about 5), in Indian headdress, having tea, circa 1914. Rose was the inspiration for The Glass Menageries Laura Wingfield.

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TEENAGE TOM Thomas Lanier Williams iii as a teenager (date unknown).

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TENNESSEE AND LAURETTE Tennessee (foreground, right) and Laurette Taylor, the actress who originated the role of Amanda Wingfield (center, back) with others, 1944. Inscription: Laurette (big smile) about three days before 'opening' (TOM above!)

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CURTAIN CALL
Half curation and half creation: thats how I saw this lobby display. That was because of the limitations of time but I could also see it as a framework for lobby design with limited resources in terms of personnel and budget. It was also about asking for help. None of this would have been possible without strong community involvement, either as my dmi colleagues spending a Saturday writing on walls or Adam Marchards friends helping him build a wall out of some windows. A lobby doesnt have to be organized and built by one person alone. This was an understated lobby in comparison to Marie Antoinettes. The director, John Tiffany, was very specific in his desire to let the play speak for itself. It is referred to as plastic theatre, where the play is the thing and the authors words do all the speaking that is needed. This meant that the lobby experience needed to take a step back; to be quieter and completely in the service of the text. How can we have a dialogue outside of the play space that still honors this directors vision?
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Putting a piece into historical context can do this. A lighter tone and a more artistic bent can do this. Installing a piece like Inventory allows us to have an adjacent conversation to the play without necessarily changing or adjusting the productions intent. In Marie Antoinette, there was room to be more forceful, to have a strong opinion about the themes of the play. An opinion like what was expressed with The Marie Clock would have been completely inappropriate here. Opening up the conversation to provocative issues like homosexuality would have been out of line with Williamss text. This sort of tactic might work in a different production, but to prepare the audience for this Glass Menagerie we had to think more evocative than provocative. If I have more opportunities to create these sorts of environments, Im curious about ways to tie them directly to other forms of audience outreach that occur around the productions. Is there a chance for dramaturgy to play a role in the marketing story? After the production opens, can the lobby experience be seen as a way to attract audience? Comparing Menagerie and Antoinette allows me to see a wide world of possibilities. Two very different productions in the same space require such different experiences and each was successful. The levels of interaction changed, the energy of the space changed, and the audience response changed. Yet for each, the differences were completely appropriate. What made this possible was the complete devotion to the production I was in service of and a real concern for the audience journey to the play.
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WHAT IF THER E WER E NO L IMITS ?

EXPERIENCE
SKETCHBOOK
One challenge of my thesis is that there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to the question. What may work or one production may not work for another.
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PROLOGUE

Researching audience engagement made me realize something: there is not a onesize-fits-all solution to this particular challenge. What may work or one production may not work for another. An important consideration with design of this type is that the experience should driven by the content. For some productions, a quiet experience may work. For instance, a production of Our Town might benefit more from an introspective lobby experience asking the patron to reflect on their familial relationships. Alternately, A Streetcar Named Desire might want to plunge you into the nightlife of New Orleans with an intense aural and visual kaleidoscope.

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The types of experiences here are not about the way they are made. Rather, they are conduits to the audience's mindreaching in to help aid in their experience of a performance. The worst possible thing would be to have a jarring experienceunless a surprising juxtaposition is what is called for. If one were to go see a traditional production of No Exit and were presented with a rock concert in the lobby, the preparation may be incorrectly conceptualized. I decided to spend some time brainstorming about different types of audience engagements for all shapes and sizes of shows. I kept a small notebook for ideas and started with a list of 20 shows and sketched out some ideas. These initial conceptual journeys only reinforced my understanding that each and every one of these shows could call for completely different technical and curatorial requirements. I did, however, start to notice a pattern. The pattern was divided to four sections. TOPIC
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Story/character History of subject History of show LOCATION Lobby At home Website FORM Fine art Connection with local organization Talk back ATTITUDE Light Provocative

Social questions About the artists Cultural connections

Social media Alternative space

Takeaway Post-show activity Intervention

Educational Conversational

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Instead of a rule book for audience engagement, this is a framework for conceptualization. For the second part of my sketching process, I used this rubric as a guide for brainstorming. I found that it greatly enhanced my process, just as any set of guidelines or limitations can positively affect a creative process. EXAMPLES There may be a need for a completely immersive pre-show experienceone that feels more like a ride than a lobby. Imagine a production of The Rocky Horror Show. If your ticket was purchased enough in advance you might receive a wedding invitation from main characters Brad and Janet. In your email you receive news reports about strange happenings at the castle on the hill. You could also choose to follow Magenta's Twitter feed or read some of Riff-Raff's blog. The night of your scheduled performance, you get weather alerts: a storm is approaching and late night travelers, especially young newlyweds, should be extra cautious. Entering the lobby you find yourself at a wedding reception for the aforementioned couple. Moving further in you discover the atrium of Dr. Frank-n-Furter's castle. You are surrounded by odd and surprising gadgets, absurd family portraiture and other errata of the show. There is sound, perhaps music from the show or maybe other things that are inspired by the concept behind this particular production. Moving images are on display: a series of security cameras spread around the theatre mirroring the system that Frank has set up in his lair. A major takeaway in this lobby is that you have a chance to learn about the history of Rocky Horror as you pick up your audience participation bag and are benignly molested by the cast as a Rocky virgin. The lobby is raucous and thoroughly engaging. An usher leads you to your seat just before she begins singing Science Fiction: Double Feature.
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A couple of months later you buy tickets to a production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma. This production happens to be a faithful reproduction of the original. You bought a ticket for your daughter and receive an email inviting you to a special event at the local children's museum that focuses on frontier women. Meanwhile you notice the theatre's website has a blog from the dramaturg all about the process of faithfully recreating the original Broadway production. There is an interview with the lone surviving member of the original cast. It was her first Broadway show and she tells of the joy of that opening night. You are invited to submit a statement about the first time you went to the theatre. You choose to record a video using a system on their site that accesses your webcam. Finally it's the evening of the performance. You and your daughter arrive at the theatre to find three distinct lobby displays. First is a gallery of memorabilia from Oklahoma's original run. There are photographs and original costume pieces tastefully arranged. In another area is a simple display of screens presenting the responses from the website. Your daughter lights up when she sees your video appear. Finally, there's a section commemorating the museum event and your daughter shows you how she learned to churn butter. The lobby is quiet and thoughtful. You notice that the theatre staff is dressed like ushers in 1949 as they guide you to your seat. After the show there are reporters in the lobby asking all of the kids about how much they enjoyed their first time at the theatre. These videos become a part of the lobby display and are shown on the website.

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On the following pages you will see a few examples to show how varied a pre-/post-show experience could work. A production of Rocky Horror would call for a different type of experience than the one for Oklahoma. Each, though, has the same goal: to prepare you mentally, emotionally and/or physically for the show you are about to see. For each show there is a brief introduction to the plot taken from the individual licensing houses. Designers, producers, directors and dramaturgs who want to enhance the pre-show experience should build an inventory of equipment. A varied selection of electronics and such would allow for nimble reactions to the needs of each show. This cache could include projectors and sound equipment for large display, small screen for intimate/solo use, Arduino board and accoutrements for physical interactions and a couple of fast machines to handle various needs. Also on hand should be a variety of designers, artists and engineers to call on for specific needs. The needs will vary from space to space, too. A smaller lobby like The Huntington Theatre's could not handle the flow of patrons and giant physically interactive experiences at the same time. The Loeb Drama Center, though, home of American Repertory Theater, has room to spare and could easily handle engrossing experiences in a more museum exhibit-like experience.
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THE LITTLE FOXES

By Lillian Hellmann Picture a charming home in the South. Into this peaceful scene put the prosperous, despotic Hubbard familyBen, possessive and scheming; Oscar, cruel and arrogant; Ben's dupe, Leo, weak and unprin THING HAPPENED cipled; Regina wickedly A clever each trying to outwit the other.

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42ND STREET
Music by Harry Warren Lyrics by Al Dubin Book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble Forty-Second Street is a celebration of Broadway and the people involved in shows. It focuses on aspiring chorus girl Peggy Sawyer, and takes us along her journey as she moves from chorus girl to start of the show.

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A DOLL'S HOUSE
By Henrik Ibsen Nora Helmer is a vibrant young housewife who nonetheless suffers from a crippling dependency on her husband of eight years. In order to save her husband from a debt, and to spare his masculine pride, Nora arranges a loan without his knowledge, and does so by forging a signature. The inevitable revelation of the crime results in an unexpected reaction from Torvald: Rather than being grateful to Nora, he is incapable of accepting the pride and self-sufficiency she demonstrated in taking care of him, and he accuses her of damaging his good name. In one of the most famous, and scandalous, climaxes in all of nineteenth-century drama, Nora leaves her husband and children, determined to forge a new identity from the one she has always known.
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THE MIKADO
by Gilbert and Sullivan The hapless lovers in The Mikado are mercilessly buffeted by social restrictions, legal inconsistencies, judicial inequities, government stupiditiesand that's just the first act! Poor dears - it would be absolutely tragic if it weren't so hysterically funny.
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LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

By Eugene O'Neill In the space of one day, from morning until midnight, we are given the tortured family background which created the elusive yet magnificent talent of the author. The characters come to life with an almost frightening fidelity; it is doubtful if any work in the theatre has ever been written with such first-person authority.
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THE SPARROW
by Chris Mathews and Jake Minton The story of Emily Book, a small-town girl returning home ten years after a tragic accident that claimed the lives of her entire class. As the town struggles to accept the strange girl who reminds them of what they lost, Emily attempts to hide the special powers that make her different.

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WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF

By Edward Albee George, a professor at a small college, and his wife, Martha, have just returned home, drunk from a Saturday night party. Martha announces, amidst general profanity, that she has invited a young couplean opportunistic new professor at the college and his shatteringly nave new brideto stop by for a
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WAITING FOR LEFTY

By Clifford Odets The opening scene is a hiring hall where a union leader (obviously in the pay of the bosses) is trying to convince a committee of workers (who are waiting for their leader, Lefty, to arrive) not to strike. In the final scene, the workers, learning that Lefty has been gunned down by the powers-that-be, resolve at last to stand up for their rights and to strikeand to stay off their jobs until their grievances are finally heard and acted upon by those who have so
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cynically exploited and misused them.

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THE THREE SISTERS

by Anton Chekhov Three Sisters poignantly conveys the lives, struggles, loves and secret desires of sisters Masha, Olga and Irina and their somewhat ineffective brother Andrei. Set in a mythological provincial town in the late 1800s, Russia, we see their life unfold in front of our eyes. On the surface, The Three Sisters is a charming and endearing story but on further examination feelings of hopelessness, anguish and dissatisfaction are unapologetically evoked. The very emotions, that a decade later, would tear Russia apart and leave her in a state of political upheaval for years to come.
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HAIRSPRAY
Music by Marc Shaiman Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman Book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan It's 1962 in Baltimore, and the lovable plus-size teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire -- to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star. She must use her newfound power to dethrone the reigning Teen Queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a TV network, all without denting her 'do!
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GUYS AND DOLLS

Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser Based on The Idyll of Sarah Brown and characters by Damon Runyon Set in Damon Runyon's mythical New York City, this oddball romantic comedy - considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy - soars with the spirit of Broadway as it introduces us to a cast of vivid characters who have become legends in the canon: Sarah Brown, the upright but uptight mission doll, out to reform the evildoers of Time Square; Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, the chronically ill nightclub performer whose condition is brought on by the fact she's been engaged to the same man for 14 years; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiance, desperate as always to find a spot for his infamous floating crap game.

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MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA

By Eugene O'Neill This 3 play, 9 hour epic is Eugene O'Neill's version Orestian Trilogy set in the aftermath of the Civil War.
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A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

by Tennessee Williams Blanche du Bois, a woman whose life has been undermined by her romantic illusions, rejects the realities of the life with which she is faced. The pressure brought to bear upon her by her sister, with whom she goes to live in New Orleans, intensified by the earthy and extremely normal young husband of the latter, leads to a revelation of her tragic self-delusion and, in the end, to madness.
FROM DRAMATISTS
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TRAVESTIES
by Tom Stoppard The play's setting is primarily Zrich, Switzerland during the First World War. Three important personalities were living in Zrich at that time: the modernist author James Joyce, the communist revolutionary Lenin, and the founder of Dada, Tristan Tzara. In the play the less notable English consular official Henry Carr, who is likewise a real person and was similarly in Zrich, recalls his perceptions and his experiences with these influential figures. As he reminisces Carr's memory becomes prone to distraction, and instead of predictable historical biography these characters are interpreted through the maze of his mind.
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AN INSPECTOR CALLS
Book by J. B. Priestly The action of the play occurs in an English industrial city, where a young girl commits suicide and an eminently respectable British family is subject to a routine inquiry in connection with the death. An inspector calls to interrogate the family, and during the course of his questioning, all members of the group are implicated lightly or deeply in the girl's undoing. After the false inspector has been shown up, and it is discovered that no suicide had been recorded, an actual copper shows, and a last-minute suicide is reported, which ties in mysteriously with the foregoing.

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WAITING FOR GODOT

By Samuel Beckett Waiting for Godot follows a pair of men who divert themselves while waiting expectantly, vainly for someone named Godot to arrive. To occupy the time they eat, sleep, converse, argue, sing, play games, exercise, swap hats, and contemplate suicide anything to hold the terrible silence at bay.
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SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

Book by James Lapine Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim One of the most acclaimed musicals of our time, this moving study of the enigmatic painter Georges Seurat won a Pulitzer Prize for its deeply insightful and highly personal examination of life through art and the artist. Act One follows the inarticulate Seurat as he fights a losing battle to maintain a relationship with his mistress Dot as he creates his painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte amid the scorn of the artistic 227 burned out and uncertain of the path he must take. community. The second act takes place 100 years later, introducing us to his American descendant, also an artist,

CITY OF ANGELS
Book By Larry Gelbart Music By Cy Coleman Lyrics By David Zippel City of Angels is two shows in one: the writing of a screenplay in the legendary Hollywood of the '40s and the enactment of that screenplay.

WOYZECK
by Georg Bchner Woyzeck deals with the dehumanising effects of doctors and the military on a young man's life.

SHOW BOAT
Music by Jerome Kern Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Spanning the years from 1880 to 1927, this lyrical masterpiece concerns the lives, loves and heartbreaks of three generations of show folk on the Mississippi, in Chicago and on Broadway (and their life-long friends).

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I learned that script of a play, even of a great play, a masterpiece, is still only a part of the raw material of a performance. The script, the cast, the appearances of costume, make-up, scenery, properties and lights, and finally the audiencethese are all ingredients which have somehow to be fused together into a single work of art. Of course, the script is nearly always the most important of these elements; it is the basis. But the script alone has no theatrical existence. It awaits the interpretation.
Tyrone Guthrie, A Life in the Theatre

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CONCLUSION
LET'S PUT ON A SHOW

Theatre cannot be art for art's sake. A play is nothing if it isn't being watched, and it cannot be watched if there is no one watching it. With as tight a relationship as that between audience and stage, it is incumbent on the theatre to ensure that all parties are well-prepared for the event. The energy must flow both ways so that the two forces fuse together to create an ecstasy which is comparable only to that experience in a religious or sexual encounter (Freshwater 236). An excited audience can make for a magical show. Word-of-mouth can turn a flop into a hit and a nobody into a star. Get the audience on your side and the possibilities are endless. Theatres need to take their innate abilities to the street. Why does the storytelling and conversation begin and end at the entrance
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to the playspace? Working with the art on the Marie Antoinette and Glass Menagerie lobbies was an incredible opportunity as a designer, but I was shocked to find that even the most basic principles of spatial design were not considered previously. The same concepts that set and costume designersany artist for that matter would employ, such as unity, emphasis, rhythm, balance, proportion, harmony, and grace, were nowhere to be seen. It is not because these people don't have an understanding of them but because it had never been considered. An actor would use them in a scene. A director would consider them in conceptualization. Costume, lighting, and set designers use them daily. How do they not make it into the outside-theauditorium experience? Consider this a call-to-action, then: Everything Speaks. If your theatre is known for high-class productions with professionals all around, each and every thing that
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the audience encounters should reflect that. In addition, realize that every single piece of the journey to the theatre creates an impact on the audience's experience. It isn't only the snazzier graphics that have made SpeakEasy's image more successful but it's the cohesive and consistent message that is put out in word and image. On stage at every performance a unique experience is shared between actor and audience. The best actors just know what the audience is feeling. They may not be able to express this connection in words, but that does not make it any less potent. We need to harness that power, that incredible connection, and use it to our advantage.
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Brian Lucid remarked one day that he finally understood why I had made the transition from print to experience design more smoothly than others. It was because, he said, coming from the theatre I already
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have a unique understanding of audience, something completely foreign to most designers. This stuck with me while I was designing several of the projects in this book. Could I possibly tap into that and develop an understanding? Kind of like the actors mentioned above, it is more of a knowing that I know something at the beginning. When I think about the potential audience for Killing Game Radio I don't just imagine a crowd of people but I can imagine a user as if I am seeing the interaction through his or her eyes. It wasn't something that I tried to do, it was something that just happened. It reminds me of embodying a role as an actor. Contrary to my grandparents' beliefs, acting is not a matter of memorizing lines. You take on the roleyou become the person in the play. This is done in as genuine a way as possible, without passing judgment on the character, but firmly believing

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everything they believe. Many acting schools talk about having to find a part of the character within yourself so that you have something personal to draw on. I have found myself doing this as a designer when considering my audience. I do not think of a faceless group of people made up of focus-grouped statistics and generic guessing. I know that I know these people. I become them in a way that must be closely related to my acting training. The first question, moving forward, is how can theatre professionals learn from acting training and develop deeper understandings of theatre than a survey would allow for? Second, how can designers deepen and strengthen their insight into audience through acting and improvisational training? The first should be an easy venture, one that may take a little soul-searching but the answer will be found very nearby. The second could be more challenging.

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Gunta Kaza's Design Research class requires students to spend time in an elevator and to report what they observed about the people in the elevators with them. In their initial presentations, the students did not present factual information about their subjects, but relayed a series of judgments and opinions about them. I found many of the statements to be overly negative, without sufficient proof. There were slutty girls. She looked at me like I was weird. I asked them what proof they had for these judgments. Unsurprisingly, they could not provide any. I asked them to rephrase their comments using only plain facts. There were young women wearing short skirts and tight tops. The woman looked at me and raised her eyebrow. I mentioned to them the danger of making assumptions and about how dangerously easy it is to find fault with your audience. In this class I was able to refer back to the research I did during the run of Marie
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Antoinette. Watching the audience enter the theatre lobby was one of the most educational research moments of these past two years. What might be the biggest lesson there is that I was just sitting on a bench and observing what was going on. It wasnt about focus groups or some generalization of audience activities before the performance began. Actors love to peoplewatch as a part of character development. After that I wanted the freedom to study every audience that walked through the doors, to see how they might differ from night to night or in different seasons. I think that this topicusing acting techniques to inform the design processcould be an entire mode of research and is something I'm interested in questioning as I develop my practice as a designer and design educator.

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IN CASE YOU'VE FORGOTTEN: THIS THESIS FULFILLS THE REQUIREMENTS FOR AN MFA IN COMMUNICATION DESIGN, NOT FOR ONE IN THEATRE

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While this entire book is about theatre and the relationship we have with a theatre audience, what I ultimately find myself thinking about are the ways in which these studies in audience development/enhancement/enrichment can influence and improve relationships with audiences of all kinds. Rather than thinking about the audience walking into a theatre, could I translate these projects to work in a doctor's office? At the Registry of Motor Vehicles? The answer is: of course I can. It's not quite a no-brainer but many of the goals are the same or, at least, related. At the doctor's office, there's a process to the visit and there are preconceptions that need to be addressed. From the moment the appointment is made, the patient is in a state of preparation that can be either fear-based or just generally anticipatory. On arrival,
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paperwork needs to be completed and waiting to be done. What are the points along the way that could be adjusted to make for a more pleasant visit? (I have a feeling that you, dear reader, could come up with a checklist of improvements for the rmv, so I won't spend any time on that.) I look forward to developing my work here into a part of my design practice. I look forward to taking these thoughts into existing design projects. I look forward to challenging my next clients to work with me to more completely understand their existing audiences and consider ways to develop further. As Jeff Bartell says, Everything is research. And that doesn't have to end here. I'm going to continue asking questions and take them out of theatre and into the real world. Hopefully I'll see you there.

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Conclusion

BIBLIOGRAPHY
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SPECIAL THANKS
The names on this list are the people who, over the past two years, have helped me in some form or fashion. Without each and every person here (and undoubtedly countless others) this would not have been possible.

Brian Lucid Dennis Ludvino Gunta Kaza Jan Kubasiewicz Joe Quackenbush Lynne Faitelson Carole Goodman Katherine Hughes Liz Resnick Lisa Rosowsky Jeff Bartell Daniel Buckley Zach Kaiser Gabi Schaffzin Cindy Bishop Martha Rettig Kelley Sullivan

Yael Alkalay Fish McGill Jeremy Sherman Saul Baizman Stephanie Dudzic Kim Maroon My Typography Classes Jenna Carando Libby Herskovitz Becky Margraf
SPEAKEASY STAFF

Chris Carcione Thom Dunn Karen Goldfeder Brooke Haney Caitlin Lowans Ginger Morris M. Bevin O'Gara Elan Schwericke Anne Howrey Joy Howrey Pat Howrey Delmar Jenkins Michael Jenkins Arlene Spano John Spano Michael Spano Sweetpea Matt Spano

Paul Daingeault Jackie Howe Stephen Libby Julie Otis Jim Torres
ART STAFF

Diane Borger Jared Fine Anna Fitzloff Grace Geller Tracy Keene Brendan Shea Stephen Wuycheck Joel Zayac

Printed mainly on Rolland Hi-Tech seventy-pound paper. Type used is Warnock, Linotype Didot, Din, Knockout, and a few more for fun. Unless noted or obvious, photography and artwork are by the author. This book was printed with the generous help of Jeremy Sherman and bound by Acme Bookbinding.

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