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An Offering On...​

Investing in the Liberation of the Audience Engagement Experience​

A Public Offering on Zoom - Monday, June 12th @7:30pm EST 

Reconstructing Theatre "Etiquette":

Background:

For Matthew's senior year of college, they decided to pursue a thesis on theatre etiquette. 

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The seeds for this paper were planted four years ago during his senior year of high school. He watching a performance of Hamlet and across the theater from them was a group of students of color. The group was whispering to each other about the show and occasionally talking to the actors. At one point, the chaperone came over to them and told them to be quiet. Matthew witness the students shift from being engaged in the world of the show to utterly disengaged.  

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Thanks to the publication of We See You White American Theatre, playwrights Erika Dickerson-Despenza and Dominique Morriseau, and many more, Matthew has been given the language to name what they witnessed at Hamlet. 

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Using the language given to him, this paper offers strategies for reconstructing theatre audience etiquette towards a more equitable and accessible experience for all audiences. 

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Overview:

Grown from the work of Dominique Morisseau and Erika Dickerson-Despenza, Matthew’s thesis is an offering on reconstructing how the theatre approaches the idea of "etiquette". 

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During a theatre performance, the audience has been socialized to be a silent spectator rather than a co-creator of the theatrical experience. 

However, examining the history of theatre going, this has not always been the case. 

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By investing in both past and present theatre going practices, this thesis offers strategies to curate the audiences' experience in order to enable a liberated space for audience engagement. The paper is broken in to three main sections:

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  1. Lineage of Theatre Audiences

  2. Organizing Principles for Reconstruction

  3. Offerings for Curating a Liberated Space for Audience Engagement

June 12th Offering

The Offering:

On Monday, June 12th at 7:30pm EST, Matthew and a small team will be hosting a 90 minute Zoom where he will share a condensed version of this thesis.

 

This is not a word by word read through of the paper. That sounds boring as hell and Matthew wouldn't wanna sit through that either.

Think more like a Ted Talk with a slide show. 

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Can't make it to the offering on the 12th? Not a worry! This will be recorded and shared for all to see. Check back to this page.

This offering functions as both a call to action and as a tool.

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To receive the Zoom link and other information on the offering, click the button below!

This Page:

Think of this page as a home base for this offering. Between now and June 12th, it will be continually updated to introduce different tools and references used in the thesis for reconstructing theatre etiquette.

 

Some material to expect include...

  • Program

    • But! Not your typical program...

  • A list of related material to check out!

    • Think of this as a friendly bibliography​!

  • A glossary

    • A shared language is important when...​

  • A playlist!

    • Yes - A playlist!

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And more! But all things in moderation. Reconstruction takes time and intention. Reconstruction is not easy, but these tools can help ease the process of construction. Check back for more!

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