Abstract

paper session Music, Theater, Interaction

The relationship between theater and the world of digital visualization is marked by mutual inspiration. The defined field of meaning of cyberspace has appropriated, explicitly or implicitly, theatrical principles, while contemporary theater and the meaning of such concepts as interactive and co-presence are informed by the meanings of computerized virtual worlds. The architectonic nature of cyberspace, with its main principle of “being there,” places the various participants in a single fluid space. Throughout the entire history of theater, the nature of the communication between spectator and actor-character is the product of, among others, space convention. A traditional theatrical situation occurs in a divided actual-fictive space of action — Bspace. In this space of action, communication takes place within a fixed hierarchy. Where there is active interaction the actual-fictive space of action becomes dynamic. This dynamic feature does not affect the hierarchy between participants, which remains fixed. The paper seeks to locate and decipher possibilities of dynamic interactive communication in a theatrical situation. This interaction will be examined as a product of the perception of space composition — actual, fictive and virtual. That is, an interactive theatrical situation will be presented as it occurs in an integrated, fluid space of action, in a space of ?liquid architecture? whose form is contingent on the interests of the beholder. The interactive communication channel between the world of digital visualization and theater will be examined not only within a theoretical discussion based on comparative study, but also as conclusions drawn from the study of a project to be presented during “The Festival of Fringe Theater” held in Israel (Oct. 2002).

• Hadassa Shani & Ahuva Belkin, Department of Theatre Studies, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Full text (PDF) p. 66-68