1) READING:
Please read the article from American Theatre "6 Shows That Perfectly Combine Tech and Text", regarding technology in Theatre. Write a comment below reacting to the article and about how you could envision using tech in Alice in Wonderland.
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| Courtesy of: americantheatre.org |
2) FOCUS YOUR WORK:
--Review the requirements of the script. HERE is the link to our shared doc.
--- Check out Ms. Grimes' inspiring images HERE.
--Remember the Director's Vision:
In Wonderland, the impossible is possible.
3) INSPIRATION BOARD:
Create an inspiration board by finding 15-20 images that you find inspiring for the show. Leave space for writing about each image!
(Try to vary these so that you're thinking about the different SET requirements.) I would like to put these on the boards, so please make a physical board. Cami, if you can send your Slide show BEFORE Monday, March 11, that would be helpful!)
Here is an example of a Inspiration Board that I made a LONG time ago for the Queen of Hearts' Chambers. I do NOT think that this board would be appropriate for this version of Alice, but I wanted to make sure you had a clear example of what I was looking for:
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| Example of Visual Research Poster - From a dark version of Alice in Wonderland -- The Queen of Heart's Chambers Emily Grimes
Above is an example of the Visual Research I used previously. It is not perfect, as it is missing the element of explaining how the design element might be used in your design. Notice that I was looking at several elements--hearts, columns, windows, etc. Be sure to include lots of elements in your design!
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I was pretty amazed to see how many different ways there are to incorporate tech into the performing arts. I'm only used to the projection, but to see that you could incorporate your smartphone to get a more 3D and engaging experience is astounding. Like in the Elements of Oz production by the Builders Association, they made the tornado, for example, a tech thing where the audience had to hold up their phone to see it, instead of having it "real" on stage. Unfortunately, I don't think Graded has the resources to do that. We could do something more along the lines of Lightwire Theatre's A Very Electric Christmas, where costumes are all black with LED lights to create different shapes and outlines. Especially with the cheshire cat and the caterpillar, these could be really interesting ideas. The other companies in the article used many different variations of projections, again some of which I think is not something Graded can do. However, I think that, like with The Nether and YOUARENOWHERE, the idea of having projects in many different locations could be interesting. We wouldn't have it in the back, but in many different corners, some up and some down.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, it is quite difficult to find a theatrical production that does not feature any kind of technology. Whether it’s a small lighting board, or a simple projection, or even a few sound cues, one cannot deny that technology and the performing arts have become nearly inseparable. With that in mind, I was fascinated to find out that many companies have not only acknowledged this phenomenon but also taken it a step further, uniting storytelling with AR and much more. Speaking of augmented reality, I was absolutely impressed with the ingenious work done by the Builders Association on their piece, Elements of Oz. The idea of using AR to create creatures, landscapes and even tornados was simply amazing, and it would be absolutely applicable to our musical. However, I do agree with Rosie when she says that such idea wouldn’t be feasible at Graded. What we could do, though, is use Andrew Schneider’s idea of distorting sound and light in order to create those psychedelic effects that are so characteristic of Alice in Wonderland. We could also implement the use of electroluminescent lights to our set design and create this sort of futuristic theme.
ReplyDeleteWith the technology we have today, it would be a waste not to use it to portray different themes, motifs, or an overall setting. What I think is genius about the AR idea in Elements of Oz, is the way they interact with the audience in a completely new way. Usually the audience is expected to turn off their devices, sit, and assume their role as an outsider looking in. By encouraging the audience to pull out their phones during different moments in the production, you are not only impressing the viewers with a cool new technological trick, the audience will automatically be more observant of when exactly they will be interacting with the show, ensuring their focus. People want nothing more than to be included and immersed in an experience, the AR effect gives them just that. Though I don't think we would be able to pull this off, and it would be unfair to some audience members(the younger ones) who might not have a device, it did remind me of something similar. Watching a movie in 3D gives it an entire new feel, a new dimension. I think we can pull this off, maybe not even with technology, but enhancing just how far away or close up some things are. Our stage is big, we can have a set pieces that would function like a pop up book. Another thing I think we could do thats more technology based, is the idea of projections changing the appearance of certain characters. Imagine the cheshire cat dancing and singing whimsical dark blue and purple stripes on her, enhancing her body and her shadow, while also making her camouflaged. Because of how fantastical this show is, there are so many unique technological elements we could include in every scene, which is why I think design in its entirety is extremely important for this particular production
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/16h5A3UA8216ueyzoDerriTA2gwFK3-yiaADXbIDF944/edit?usp=sharing
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