All the World's A Stage: The Actor-Audience Relationship in Western Interactive Theater

Author

Emily Baker

Date of Award

2013

First Advisor

Aimee Michel

Second Advisor

Sandy Cleary-Wade

Third Advisor

Wendy Shifrin

Abstract

This thesis is an exploration of the history of Western interactive theatre space culminating in a set design for an interactive and immersive production of Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare. It investigates the effects of the interactive actor-audience relationship, in which the audience feels involved and each group understands its importance in the theatrical experience. It also chronicles the history of interactive theatre in an immersive configuration, in which the actors and the audience share the same space. The history leads up to the practical component: an exhibition of a theoretical set design of Measure for Measure occurring in a gymnasium which allows the audience to walk freely amongst the actors. Included in the thesis are photos, sketches, notes and swatches of fabric to explain the design of each room, as well as information about the experience that a theoretical audience would have during the performance and documentation of the exhibition itself.

Recommended Citation

Baker, Emily, "All the World's A Stage: The Actor-Audience Relationship in Western Interactive Theater" (2013). Senior Theses. 742.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/sr-theses/742