Evaluation

This performance was based on a multimedia adaptation of the play 1984. Therefore we used many multimedia techniques to make this performance. I had never worked with multimedia before so it was a new experience. I had to pick up the techniques of using multimedia in all its forms quickly to enable time to plan, organise and use different technical elements. Video tutorials helped and also the input from other people in my class who had more experience with this area of technical theatre. 

Multimedia comes in many different forms. It can be visual, oral or aural. These include things like lighting sound, recordings, videos, songs, dance, props and costume. All these types of multimedia can vary also. For example in the canteen their were props that the audience could handle and look at, like the posters and jars of food on the shelves, but there was also edible props in the form of soup and bread, both of which added to performance. Each piece of multimedia was there to support the acting and enhance it. It stimulated the audiences imagination and got them involved which is very important, especially in immersive theatre.

In many performance you will see lighting, sound and props being used to make the performance interesting. However in this performance it wasn't an extra detail to make the play look pretty, it was another performance in itself and the multimedia needed to perform like the actors; efficiently and professionally. In a group of actors someone needs to be well briefed on their task and they need to perform to a high standard. If they don't, they affect the performance of those around them in a negative way and the audience lose concentration of the story they're watching. The same principle applies to multimedia. If the multimedia isn't well planned it will not perform well and in turn will make the world you are trying to create less believable. Therefore time and effort was needed to make the multimedia precise and clear. 

Suspension of disbelief is something very present within our performance of 2050. For the performance to be effective you needed the audience to want to believe in the world of the play. Otherwise our jobs as actors became a lot harder as the story we are trying to sell and the world we were wanting to create isn't bought by the audience and we are therefore not fulfilling our roles as actors to entertain and inform. When you need the audience to be involved in the piece they need to believe that they are part of the world for it to work. 

To get the audience involved we used a prop to engage them and create the atmosphere of entrapment, control and strict ruling from a higher power. We made them all wear surgical masks. We said that they might be carrying diseases that we didn't want spread. The masks were suffocating which ties in with the theme of the performance. The characters may feel suffocated by the oppressive figure of Big Brother. As we wanted the audience to feel on edge and like they had entered a new world that was completely different from the one they were living in 10 minutes ago. The numbers on the masks also stripped them of their human qualities and made them feel no more than a number. The masks created performance opportunities for us because we could question them if they weren't wearing masks and we could call them by the numbers on their masks. 

When the audience walked around another element that grabbed their attention was the costume of some of the performers. The 101 tortures were wearing boiler suits, the trainers were wearing yellow mackintoshes and the anti-sex league were wearing red scarves. This costume separated these groups of people and intrigued the audience to watch them and follow them around. When the anti-sex league did their talk the audience may have followed because of what they were wearing. The rest of us were wearing dull clothes, mainly black and white and this meant that the audience may have also felt alienated because of their clothing. 

The performance was sight specific. This meant that the building we performed in was made for the play we were performing. As a school as an institutional feeling about it, a place were rules are present and people are orderly and failure to comply with the rules result in punishment. All of these themes link to the story 1984. Every sight where a performance took place included some form of multimedia. 

The Food Hall- in the food hall there were many examples of multimedia. There was a constant video of people from within the 2015 world talking about the world the audience had entered. I was included in the video as O'Brien's PA and I talked about how people who defied O'Brien and Big Brother were shameful and disgraceful. This made the audience feel like they were being watched and scrutinized. There was the sound of the three slogans 'War Is Peace, Freedom Is Slavery and Ignorance Is Strength,' on repeat which was a constant reminder to the audience of the rules of the world and how alien this world was compared to 2014 England. The wall was covered in posters linking to the party meaning wherever the audience looked they saw something advertising the party giving a constant presence. 

Room 101- as room 101 is a torture room the multimedia in this room added to the tense environment the audience entered. There was a projection of an eye operation which is haunting and disgusting, but also there is a constant glare from an eye, an eye of someone in pain- it is almost like they're asking you for help. There was a constant sound of a baby crying. As many of the audience were parents their reaction to this was to run and help the child in distress but they knew it wasn't real. However the repetition slowly got into their heads and played with their minds and thoughts. There was a bright flash light in the corner creating an intense atmosphere, but also a heat. This made the room stuffy and similar to the masks, suffocating. The blood on the clothes and faces of the workers is also a sickening sight. Many people don't like the sight of blood so the overall feeling of room 101 was to leave as soon as possible; though this wasn't always possible. 

Stanley's Apartment- there was the sound of a radio show on loop playing music and news that had been recorded to sound like something from the world of Airstrip One. It also created an eerie feeling. Many people in the room were silent but there was still a constant voice. There was also a video of training which encouraged people to go and see the training for themselves. 

O'Brien's Office- this was the only room that used theatrical light. When O'Brien made his speeches the spotlight was on him drawing all focus and attention to what he was saying. It also made the audience feel uneasy as he was the only one in the light and the rest were left in the dark. The computers also created light, but they were also a prop. When the audience walked over they could see the workers looking at audience profiles or searching CCTV footage. 

Space- this was were the group hate took place and at that time a projection of the 'criminals' were put up on the wall for the people to shout at. The audience may have found this disorientating. They could clearly see someone trying to talk, but the shouting of the crowd was so loud that it muted the confessions. The X's on the floor were very formal, placing the audience on exact spots and making them feel like a chess piece- being moved around at the pleasure of their 'hosts.' 

Lecture Theatre- lighting played a big part in this space. Before the audience entered they were taken through in to a porch, the lights were turned off and they were left for 10 seconds. They then walked in and the light they saw was the glaring light of the incsog logo. The incsog logo was shown through a Prezi. This was an efficient way to brief the audience on everything that they were going to witness, but in a way that still made the scene and information believable. 

As you can see from all I have evaluated multimedia played a key role in our performance of 2050. Without it the performance may not have been as effective and would have certainly given the audience less to engage with. Even though some of the multimedia got cut because of problems and technical issues, these are all human errors that can't be avoided. With more time maybe the problems could've been solved, however time is a luxury we don't have and we worked around the issues to make the performance as creative and effective as possible. However on the whole the multimedia was successful and I was happy with mine and the overall performance. Everyone stayed in character and the audience got involved and 'suspended their disbelief.' Though multimedia is difficult at times I would like to use it again and build my knowledge and experience.