Encounter

Live Interactive Theater

Fourcast Lab

Set Designer/Production Assistant

Development Period: September-October 2024

taps.uchicago.edu/event/fourcast-labs-encounter

Encounter is an immersive hybrid theater experience that used the unique benefits of in-person and online participants to augment the experience for everyone. An actor would begin a scenario, which was then driven by the online audience messaging them. The audience would decide how they were being heard, whether it was as an alien swarm, a ghost, or something else. Meanwhile, the audience could see the messages, and would modify the set between encounters. 

As a Set Designer, I oriented the set so that it would be appealing to our camera crew and the live audience. Because of audience modification, the set had to be versatile and inviting to mess with! As a Production Assistant, I was responsible for moderating the online chat, which included instigating the online players. I was also responsible for aspects of stage management, like cueing our performers, and our lights and sound team.