Theatre is a broad term. I’ve worked on a lot of projects that are certainly theatrical, even if they occurred miles away from the nearest theatre – and I think there’s a lot to be gained by getting plays (and your audience) out and about.
Frozen Indigo Angel had people running around to follow the action at Europe’s biggest free music festival. Thinking Aloud let people listen in to characters’ thoughts as they watched them in the bar of the ICA. Perplex City saw actors improvising with their audience online and over the phone. Memento was a dramatic audio tour. The Seed was four site-specific plays set in stately home gardens. Better Than Life took cues from its online audience. All of this is theatre.
The traditional auditorium is still an incredibly powerful place for telling stories. I’ve written for the Royal Court, the Hampstead Theatre, the Rosemary Branch Theatre and drama schools such as RADA and E15. But it’s not about the building. It’s about a live, living performance.
David Varela 