(Cover Photo by Vruyr Martirosyan on Unsplash )
Our feature project is the Durham Cabaret: 1002 Thaxton Avenue. An exciting new take on a classic form, the Durham Cabaret weaves together performances by local artists with interactive drama that lets the audience explore the challenging decisions inherent to love and life.
The Cabaret follows our protagonist, a woman in her late twenties, as she struggles to balance her time and energy between her work, her girlfriend, and her family.
Everybody wants more from her, and we follow her descent as she slowly loses control of everything while scrambling to make it all work out.
Throughout the performance, there are multiple decisions our protagonist must make. These choices are made by the audience, and affect the way the people in her life interact with her going forward as well as the ending of the performance.
Photo by Cosmin Serban on Unsplash
A primary aspect of the cabaret is the involvement of technology to create an immersive environment for the audience. The use of projection mapping on scrims in an in-the-round setting allows for fantastic visual effects and the complete control of the audience’s perception of space. An app built for the cabaret allows for audience interaction with the story, including the decision making function, spatial audio played through headphones, and opportunities for audience manipulation of the projection mapping.