9.2 Participatory and interactive performance

Participatory and interactive performances shake up traditional audience roles. They invite spectators to become active participants, blurring the line between performer and viewer. This can range from simple audience responses to complex improvisations that shape the entire show.

These performances aim to create unique, personalized experiences for each audience member. By fostering community and shared meaning-making, they challenge conventional notions of spectatorship. However, they also present challenges in terms of artistic control and audience comfort levels.

Participatory vs Interactive Performance

Defining Participatory and Interactive Performance

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Top images from around the web for Defining Participatory and Interactive Performance

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  Participatory Approach View original

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• Participatory performance actively involves the audience in the creation or execution of the work, blurring the lines between performer and spectator
  • The audience directly impacts the outcome of the piece
• Interactive performance incorporates audience feedback or input, but the audience does not necessarily alter the fundamental structure or outcome of the work
  • Interaction can range from minimal (simple audience responses) to extensive (complex improvisations)
• Both participatory and interactive performance challenge traditional notions of spectatorship by inviting the audience to play a more active role, though the degree and nature of involvement varies

Goals and Outcomes of Participatory and Interactive Performance

• Participatory and interactive performances often aim to democratize the performance space, break down hierarchies between artists and audience
• Foster a sense of community or shared experience among participants
• Personalize the performance, making it a unique and intimate experience for each individual based on their level of engagement and specific contributions
• Blur the boundaries between fiction and reality, creating a liminal space where the performance extends into real life and vice versa

Strategies for Audience Engagement

Techniques for Involving the Audience

• Artists may directly address or invite responses from the audience, breaking the "fourth wall" and acknowledging their presence as co-creators rather than passive observers
• Performers might give audience members specific tasks, roles, or prompts to guide their participation
  • Tasks can range from simple actions (clapping, call-and-response) to more complex improvisations or co-creation (generating content, making decisions that shape the narrative)
• Incorporate elements of chance, spontaneity, or open-endedness to allow for genuine audience input and unpredictable outcomes
  • Unscripted interactions, improvised scenes based on audience suggestions, or choose-your-own-adventure style branching narratives

Designing Spaces and Using Technology for Interaction

• The physical space and staging can be designed to encourage audience interaction
  • Immersive environments (site-specific works, multi-room installations)
  • Non-traditional seating arrangements that place the audience amidst the action (in-the-round staging, promenade-style performances)
• Technology can facilitate audience engagement before, during, or after the performance
  • Social media platforms for audience feedback and discussion
  • Mobile apps for interactive content or real-time participation
  • Interactive installations or augmented reality elements

Impact of Audience Participation

Personalizing the Performance Experience

• Audience participation can personalize the performance, making it a unique and intimate experience for each individual based on their level of engagement and specific contributions
• Participatory elements may heighten the audience's emotional investment, sense of stakes, or identification with the themes and issues being explored in the work
• The unpredictability introduced by audience involvement can lead to surprising, serendipitous, or even confrontational moments that enrich the performance's meaning and impact

Building Community and Collective Meaning-Making

• The shared experience of participatory performance can foster a sense of community, dialogue, and collective meaning-making among audience members
• Participatory works can create opportunities for empathy, perspective-taking, and transformative experiences through intimate and visceral interactions
• Critics argue that participatory elements can sometimes feel gimmicky, coercive, or distracting if not integrated thoughtfully into the work's themes and structure

Challenges and Opportunities of Participatory Performance

Artistic Control and Unpredictability

• Participatory performance requires a relinquishing of control on the part of the artist, which can be both liberating and challenging in terms of crafting a cohesive artistic vision
• Artists must develop strategies to accommodate and incorporate the unpredictable contributions of untrained participants while still maintaining the integrity and intent of the piece
• Participatory works often have an inherently limited lifespan or capacity for repetition, as they are shaped by the specific individuals involved in each iteration

Ethical Considerations and Audience Expectations

• Some audience members may feel uncomfortable with the pressure to participate or expose themselves, raising questions about the ethics of consent and coercion in participatory contexts
• Artists must navigate the balance between challenging audiences and respecting their boundaries or desire for anonymity
• Participatory performances can attract new audiences seeking more active, social, or unconventional arts experiences beyond passive spectatorship
  • Opportunity to expand the reach and relevance of performance art
  • Challenge of meeting diverse expectations and levels of comfort with participation

Documentation and Critical Analysis

• Documenting, archiving, and critically analyzing participatory performance can be challenging due to its ephemeral, context-specific, and multi-perspectival nature
• Traditional forms of documentation (video recordings, photographs) may not fully capture the complexity of participatory interactions and experiences
• Scholars and critics must develop new frameworks and methodologies for analyzing and evaluating the aesthetic, social, and political dimensions of participatory work