August 17, 2011 | Theatre,

The first ever “audience performance company”

I wanted to open our second season with something ground-breaking and fun, and what better theatre to partner with than The Foundry out of New York. It’s called HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH: OUR VALUES IN QUESTION.

And QUESTION is the central idea here – the piece is a series of questions between the company and the audience.  Together, we’ll explore fundamental concepts of value – quantitatively through our relations to money and qualitatively by asking what we hold dear.  We are calling this the first ever “audience performance company,” and the experience will change with every performance because the “dialogue” isn’t scripted but rather comes from the hearts and minds of the audience.

But not to worry – the atmosphere is relaxed and communal, and audience members may participate at a level that suits them. It’s not an open forum or a group therapy session – far from it. But participation is key: so much so that the work can’t be rehearsed (much less performed) without an audience. If you’d like to get in on the creation of this piece, join the workshop by signing up to attend a rehearsal here: http://bit.ly/VALUESrehearsals.

You’ve heard of audience participation before, but this brings your MIND into the action with playful and profound consequences. Along the way, there are some stunning dramatic gestures and images.  There’s a theatrical body in place to provide the overall shape and profile, but the guts, organs, nervous system and funny bones will be supplied by you, the audience. We hope you’ll be part of it.

Rob