What Just Happened?: Technology, Play, and Redefining Theater

Abstract

I examine ways in which new, cheap technology has enabled theater practitioners to create performances that redefine what theater is, and blur the boundaries of areas not traditionally considered theater (such as video games). My work will focus on affordable, “hobbyist” electronics, such as the Raspberry Pi (a powerful computer the size of a deck of cards, which costs approximately $35) or Arduino (a microcontroller - essentially a small, limited type of computer), as well as consumer electronics like cell phones and robotic vacuum cleaners. I will look at the work of, and interview, artists who use these devices in their productions, and explore where they think their projects sit in the performance world, and why they chose to approach their creations the way they did.