5 examples of how theater is not boring

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

We are talking about performances that go beyond the usual.

1. In the theater you can not only watch, but also "spy"

Immersive theater is a great alternative to classic performances. Spectators come to a certain hour, and then the action begins. But the usual parterre and mezzanine, intermissions and other things are not here.

Performances usually take place simultaneously in several rooms of mansions or other buildings. Yes, it is unlikely that it will be possible to have time to look everywhere. But that's not the point. People get the opportunity not to observe from soft chairs, but to spy, analyze, draw conclusions and decide for themselves where to go.

Often, inside the theatrical space, spectators move around in masks. The main rule: do not touch the actors, if it is forbidden, and talk to them only as part of the action.

Nowadays, such performances are found more and more often, so you can choose a performance for every taste.

Returnees (Journey Lab, Moscow / St. Petersburg)

The plot is based on the plot of the play "Ghosts" by Henrik Ibsen, in which all the "skeletons" of a venerable family are taken out of the closet. Everything happens in the Dashkova mansion. For a while, it recreates the atmosphere of the Victorian era.

Sweeney Todd, Barber Maniac of Fleet Street (Taganka Theater, Moscow)

The action of this musical about a psychopath takes place right in the hall. Spectators find themselves inside what is happening, especially those whose seats are in a makeshift cafe. Actors - they appear here and there - sometimes involve the audience in the action.

Anna Karenina (Foundation for the Support of Contemporary Art "Living City", Kazan)

Full immersion in the classic history takes place in the interiors of a merchant's mansion. The heroes of the familiar novel live their lives in front of the audience, love and suffer … You can watch them not from the stalls or the mezzanine, but standing side by side, literally at arm's length.

2. You can make decisions in the theater

Some productions leave a choice. And it's not just about visiting them or not. So, sometimes performances have several ending options, and it is the audience who decides what happens before the curtain closes.

This is a great way not only to become a part of another reality, but also to influence its development.

In addition, the theater gives the audience the opportunity to choose where to focus their attention. In this case, it is not necessary to move from one scene to another. It is enough to have special devices.

Skid (Praktika Theater, Moscow)

In this performance based on the play by Vladimir Sorokin, the action unfolds in several planes. Spectators watch what is happening in the country house through a glass wall and monitors that show different rooms. The sound is transmitted to the headphones, and everything is freely switched between channels. Also, viewers can listen to the reasoning of Vladimir Sorokin about the theater and life or the literary works of Dmitry Prigov.

Scissors (Ulyanovsk Drama Theater named after I. A. Goncharov, Ulyanovsk)

The audience is actively involved in this ironic detective story. Of course, they will not prevent the murder of an elderly pianist, but they can help in solving the crime. This performance has several endings. And each time the actors play exactly the one that corresponds to the results of the audience's investigation.

3. You can just walk in the theater

Another modern find is a promenade play. There are no decorations as such. Instead, there are city streets and squares, public transport, shopping centers and more.

In some productions, actors participate, although there is usually no clear script without deviations: the mosaic of reality is reassembled every time. In other living companions, voices from headphones are substituted, which guide and surprise. And if necessary, the accompanying guides will always give you advice and guidance.

Another feature: such events usually take place during the warm season. And to feel comfortable, it is better to wear comfortable clothes and shoes.

Remote Moscow (Rimini Protokoll, Moscow)

Here they merge into one performance, an excursion and even a computer quest. There are no actors. Only ordinary people who live their own lives. They do not even realize that at this very moment they are being closely watched.

Throughout the performance, the audience strolls and follows the instructions of the mechanical voice. They stop, look closely, perform spontaneous actions and simply look at what is happening with different eyes.

Implicit influences ("Teatr.doc", Moscow)

This performance is a whole universe that is constantly changing, and each actor and spectator plays his own special role in it. It begins at the agreed point, and then turns into a difficult walk with deep meaning.

Implicit Influences has real actors. They quote philosophers, poets and prose writers, improvise and reason on eternal topics.

Guardians (Omsk Drama Theater "Galyorka", Omsk)

Spectators walk along the Irtysh embankment, city streets and squares. The main character accompanies them through headphones - a young guy who is going to leave Omsk, but at some point everything changes. The play also features the reasoning of the most ordinary people and famous historical figures.

Listening to the City Project (Kaliningrad / Perm)

Walking in familiar places, where the audience is in dialogue with the city, and the stage is everything around. So, at the play "First Acquaintance" you can look into the memory of Kaliningrad, find out what secrets its walls keep and think about it and your future. And on the promenade "Spirit of the City" - to get to know Perm better.

Escape to the zoo (Park of flora and fauna "Roev Ruchey", Krasnoyarsk)

This promenade show takes place at the Roev Ruchey Zoo, even in those parts that are closed to ordinary visitors. All the way, the audience is accompanied by the lyrical heroine Elena Krutovskaya (performed by Vera Voronkova). She founded a living corner "Shelter of Dr. Aibolit", which eventually became a park of flora and fauna. The main leitmotif of the performance is a dream, on the way to which there is a place for smiles and sadness.

4. In the theater, you can fantasize

Another unusual format is an action in which you simply cannot do without imagination. For example, performances in complete darkness.

In such performances, everything is based on sounds, voices of actors, smells and, most importantly, on the emotions and feelings of the audience.

Yes, the plot is of course present. But the imagination draws everyone their own pictures and images through which what is happening is perceived.

Demon (Project "Concerts in the Dark", Moscow)

This is a story about how the "sad Demon, the spirit of exile" fell in love with the young princess Tamara. You can feel it with your heart only with your eyes closed, because the action unfolds in complete darkness.

4 (Project by Ksenia Peshchik, Krasnoyarsk)

Unusual production based on the play "The Blind" by Maurice Maeterlinck. This performance cannot be seen, but it can be felt, felt, heard. Throughout the entire action, the audience does not remove the blindfolds from their eyes, but this does not prevent them from moving forward and completely immersed in what is happening.

5. You can play in the theater yourself

Sometimes viewers not only observe the actors and influence their actions, but also become full participants in what is happening. They play their own roles and build the plot together. How deep to dive into events, everyone determines for himself.

Moscow 2048 (2048.events, Moscow)

This is a performance, a computer game, and a post-apocalyptic film. Each viewer has his own role, and it depends only on him what will turn out in the end. And the actors who "live" in this universe will help, resist, and sometimes just watch.

Nostalgia ("Live Action Theater", Moscow)

In the center of the plot is the life of a person. It is made up of good and bad memories, joys and disappointments, attachments and grievances. Each viewer becomes one of the iconic people in the fate of the hero. Their words and actions influence everything that happens and create the story of one life.

Detained (Pop-up Theater, St. Petersburg)

The creators of the play describe it as "both bar-hopping on Rubinstein Street and an investigative experiment on the work and biography of the writer Sergei Dovlatov." The spectators hit the road together with a police guide. On their way there are five bars, seven episodes from the life of the suspect and five liters of vodka. An appetizer is included.

Questioning / Who are you? ("Gogol-Center", Moscow / Pop-up Theater, St. Petersburg)

This chamber play-play has no stage and no actors. Everything here is built around the audience, who first need to answer the questionnaire. Moreover, you will have to talk about a stranger who sits opposite and analyzes you.

This performance is a kind of experiment, first of all, on oneself. It will help you look deep into yourself and understand how each of us is perceived by others.