Pittsburgh in the Round: In many ways, technology and theater exist at opposite ends of a spectrum: the one is typically replicable and individualized, while the other is usually unique and communal. Bricolage’s latest production, Project Amelia, sets its goals almost impossibly high in setting out to create an immersive theatrical experience that not only incorporates technology but also makes it an integral part of the show while simultaneously asking audience members to consider it critically. The overall effect is incredibly impactful, and my first thought after leaving the show was, “I want to do that again!”
6 comments:
This immersive experience sounds amazing. I’d love to see and experience it after reading this article. I’m especially curious about how you have to put your phone in a locked bag and they give you a prop phone. I often think of phones as a distraction and it seems counterintuitive to give someone an alternative phone. Though, if the prop phone can not connect the audience member to their previous distractions, probably social media, I guess it's doing its job. Especially if the prop phone guides the audience member through the evening. I do wish the article had gone a little more in depth about the experience, however I know the reviewer was intentionally vague to ensure people have as few expectations as possible walking into the performance. Overall, I was really intrigued by this article and I hope I get to see Project Amelia before it closes in early November.
I have really been wanting to go to this experience since the posters started showing up all around campus and Pittsburgh as a whole. With how much media and automation have been invading the world of theater, I think that it is important for theater to be self aware about the degree to which technology is removing the human aspect of performance. To have an experiential performance that discusses the automation of theater while also facilitating human interaction is a really interesting contrast to focus on in a performance piece. I do think that the idea of using a phone to guide people through an experience is really interesting, especially because people are familiar with using a phone but in this instance people don't have access to their own social media and conversations. I would really love to go to this experience because this combination of topics and experiential formats seems to have a really interesting message and I would love to know what spoilers Caton was hiding.
All of the features that brought up in the article seemed interesting, especially the technology heavy side of this show. Calling it a show is probably not precise enough, I found that this type of immersive experiences is getting more and more attention and investment in our industry. As the old fashion theater will stay ever like it stayed for thousands of years, the new specie of performing art will also thrive and making itself the symbol of our coming future. Placing smart phones into hands of audience is a brilliant move, just like author mentioned, obligated to looking at another screen for a night is unexpected, though it makes absolute sense for the attendances in the experience. By using the technology to tell a story of technology, I think the production team might set a major milestone on how new media can be installed and delivered to the modern society.
I have to admit that after reading this article I immediately looked up Project Amelia and looked into getting tickets. The premise of the experience sounds like a real-life episode of Black Mirror and I'm quite eager to attempt to see this show. Caton's light descriptions are both endlessly intriguing and frustrating as she brushes over only a faint impression of what the show encompasses. The idea of attempting this show repeatedly to better experience all 10 distinct viewpoints of the overarching show is also an expensive but drawing idea. The multifaceted show draws in people of all audiences. Like Caton expresses earlier in the piece we often feel there are no two fields that differ more greatly than technology and theatre; however, there seems to be a story needing to be told in the technology field and there is no better way to discuss our overdependence on technology that will, one day soon, surpass us in intelligence than through interactive performance.
Bricolage is suck an interesting production company with all the work that they regularly produce, and this is yet another example of how they are pushing the boundaries with what people expect to gain from a theatre (or general entertainment) experience. In the past couple of months I have heard a lot about the work that is happening with Project Amelia, and I think it is truly going to be a thought provoking piece. As someone in a previous comment mentioned, it has vibes and a general feeling that is very similar to Black Mirror, which is probably in part why it is so intriguing to me. I think theatre that makes you think is the most powerful, because art is meant to provoke feeling and emotion. Project Amelia sounds like a really interesting intersection between the arts, technology, and society, and that in itself is so powerful. I really hope to have a chance to see this piece.
I got to research Bricolage Production Company for my scavenger hunt project for Susan's class, and I instantly became obsessed with everything it stands for. Their name means "what's at hand", so their creativity is insanely vast. They have the ability to magically transform spaces into a depiction of their vision, no matter where it is. I am so excited to go see Project Amelia and experience a work of immersive theater. It is something they are known for, and from what I discovered during my project, they have produced some powerful works in the past. My favorite immersive piece involved a confessional. Two audience members were given a script and were told to sit on either side of the confessional. Each audience person thought they were talking to a "priest", but in reality, they were just having a conversation with each other that was prompted by the questions in the script.
With work such as that, I can't wait to witness the artistic passion of Bricolage that I have heard so much about. Specifically, I am interested to see Project Amelia's fusion of entertainment and technology. That is not an area of design that I am equipped to work with, so I am excited to see how boundaries are being broadened in our field.
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