Theater: The Encounter--high tech sound design comes to the theater
The Encounter on Broadway is a one man monologue portraying the encounter of a western photographer with an isolated Amazon tribe. The single actor, Simon McBurney, is well known in the UK for his innovative theater producing, acting, and directing. The story told is a mostly familiar one of westerners in the jungle, akin to Heart of Darkness or the recent film Embrace of the Serpent (see my review here), with episodes and commentary on deforestation, hallucinigenic plants, cultural and language misunderstandings, etc. While well written and energetically acted, the unique thing about The Encounter is seen on arriving to your seat, where you see a headphone (600+ of them in the theater) and receive instructions on making sure it works and that you have left-right orientation correct. The following theatrical production, after an odd chatty start with McBurney talking about his family and random incidents of his day, immerses you in a 2 hour audio landscape in which there is a mix of live narration with pre-recorded effects (snakes, insects, water), all with an amazingly broad soundstage that, with a little imagination, place you square in the jungle. McBurney vaults about the stage using multiple microphones, each programmed with different sound capabilities or voice manipulations that allow him to play multiple characters. Notably, visual effects are minimal, and the stage is set with a few pieces of office furniture, plus the microphones. While I have seen many shows that used visual creativity to create an environment in the theater (e.g. the striking lighting in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), this is the first show I have seen to use solely audio effects in the same way. It succeeded well...at one point I was creeped out by what seemed to be an animal directly behind me, only to realize that a patron was exiting the row behind me, leaning her hands on my seat.
The digital technology available to theater and opera creators (as well as movie directors and composers) continues to explode. Only now are artists really catching up and incorporating these effectively into live performing arts. The key for me is that the performance not be about the technology, but instead have the technology create an alternate universe not achievable by conventional sets in which compelling live performers can dwell. The Encounter is another step in this effective technology enhancement, as it was in the recent Met Tristan und Isolde. One could argue the musicals and opera would not be best served by headphones and audio manipulation, as both of these traditionally rely on the unamplified human voice. This is changing, however. Most musicals are now amplified (if not digitally enhanced) and the ear adjusts with time. The audio effects of The Encounter seemed novel and jolting for 10-15 minutes, then were accepted as "normal" by my brain. Are we far from the Wagner Ring saga complete with holographic dragons, an overflowing Rhine experienced with headphones, and Rhinemaidens flying into the audience with 3D imagery? Such a production would actually approximate what Wagner imagined. I look forward to it!
The digital technology available to theater and opera creators (as well as movie directors and composers) continues to explode. Only now are artists really catching up and incorporating these effectively into live performing arts. The key for me is that the performance not be about the technology, but instead have the technology create an alternate universe not achievable by conventional sets in which compelling live performers can dwell. The Encounter is another step in this effective technology enhancement, as it was in the recent Met Tristan und Isolde. One could argue the musicals and opera would not be best served by headphones and audio manipulation, as both of these traditionally rely on the unamplified human voice. This is changing, however. Most musicals are now amplified (if not digitally enhanced) and the ear adjusts with time. The audio effects of The Encounter seemed novel and jolting for 10-15 minutes, then were accepted as "normal" by my brain. Are we far from the Wagner Ring saga complete with holographic dragons, an overflowing Rhine experienced with headphones, and Rhinemaidens flying into the audience with 3D imagery? Such a production would actually approximate what Wagner imagined. I look forward to it!
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