Audiences

After our weekend seeing performances at the Chelsea Theatre as part of SACRED, we have been alerted to different roles about the audience. In a post show discussion of 'threesome', the submissive/dominant argument was raised. Many artists, Joseph Mercier included, prefer for the audience to have a dominant role- dictating the route the performance takes (e.g. shouting out 'repeat' so Mercier preforms a ballet routine until the audience is satisfied). However, many prefer the audience to be just observers, witnessing what is brought before them. We have discussed the possibility of audience interaction and decided currently it is not an idea we are working with. Therefore we are moving in the direction of a submissive audience- however to me, this raises the question of the difference between submissive and passive. Therefore leading us to think about ways to keep an audience engaged, without allowing the performance to become them.

Another point raised in the post show discussion was the point of purpose. All performances showed art demonstrating something about an individual's life. However Gillie Kleiman argued in the discussion that she very much had audience in mind when creating the performance because after all, they are the ones paying to see it, she made the performance for them and not for herself.

We've got a lot of thinking to do!