How can digital media communicate in the theatre ?
Last weekend I went to the Cochrane Theatre to see a production called Kellerman, which, coincidentally, is related to my research- the combination of digital media with live performance. Below are some of my thoughts and questions.
The story is about a man who is suffering the traumatic events of his past and has been taken into the psychological hospital. He tried to prove everyone wrong by changing the order of events that led to the disappearance of everything he loved. The whole story is similar to that of the film The Butterfly Effect..
The play is incredible showsing the story of characters' real lives, their inner states and the past at the same time.... How? the whole performance the stage was divided into two horizontal layers (upper and lower) and at times these layers were themselves sub-divided. The director brilliantly combined projection with live action in order to achieve this.
Take one scene( picture 2/8) for example. The upper stage is a hospital room in the past, with a female patient sitting with her back to the audience on a bed. The background of this setting is a projection which is the female patient's face - a view which the audience could not have. Therefore, two physical angles were presented simultaneously. The lower stage, left, is the actor's room in the hospital (real life), and the right is the weather of outside representing his emotional(or inner) state. ( my understanding).
So, in this scene, many angles, times and spaces are presented for audience. Personally, I think this scene in the hospital illustrates a strong use of projection on the stage to represent the emotion of the characters and to increase the emotional content of the story. I mean that not only do we can see the actor in his hospital room, but we can see his past as well. I mean, this scene show a complex relationship of the male actor- lower stage showing his action, the woman in the upper stage which causally connects to his current state, and the projection of the weather seems to illustrate his inner emotions. My point is, it is hard to imagine a more traditional staging without any projection to represent all these complexity of time and inner state.
The upper stage which is the projection in the upper stage is a close up of the females face may be seen as the man's past which may be why he currently affecting his present life. Therefore, the upper's projection takes an most important part to rise the emotion and explain relationship. That means, this communication of story can only be achieved by projection, when it comes to traditional theatre the close up is not available?
This scene impressive me, a normal angle of scene which we are familiar and can see in the theatre is show in the projection, and another angle of scene we can mainly see in the film is presented on the stage!!! Ingenious stage design and well combine with projection.
There also other scenes, like hypnosis, struggling inner state and changing time and space, showing over view of the atmosphere of story with details which presented by the projections.
The play presented more than two physical angles, two or more different time and ininner state of actors on the stage at the same time, which is hard to achieve by traditional play. The enagement of digital media which is usage of projection during the play do develop the story like the scene in the hospital. Audience can see the overview of this scene and another angle from the projection which presting detials rising the emotion.
All in all, the form of the play is completely new and the setting design is intellectual. And I am impressive by the combination with film( ? ) or projection(?) and live performance. However, during the play, there were some questions in my mind, some thing not sure, some thing confuse. There were some moment that I felt like sitting in a cinema watching a film but a play... Why I would have the feeling that I was watching a film? Although there is no doubt that the investment of projection develop the story showing different time, space and inner state make sense to audience. Is that because it over use projections on the stage? If yes. How to balance live action and projection? Does the form or concept of projection increase the level of emotional invlovement? Or reduce? How to distinguish theatre and film? How to balance the usage of digital media in theatre?
Normally, when we judge a man successful or not, would company with these questions: How much momey he earn per month? What (how many) car(s) he owns? How many flats he has?...It is very sad to judge a person by material. All these parameters themselves mean nothing, but, sometimes, give people reason to work hard for their life. Yes, in our life, we do need, more ore less, parameters, like making plan before star working, which could help and clear when you are at work.
cityscape created by silver cutleries
