PIGEON THEATER PRESENTS

Pigeon Theatre Presents is a miniature digital theatre. The creative inspiration comes from my long-term observation experience in UnionSquare, where I pass by each day. Although the people who travel through Union square seem different, from an outsider’s point of view, the “performances” and the events that take place here are like scripts written in advance, running day after day. People pass by but the pigeons witness everything.

In this fictitious theater, the pigeons lead the audience through a surreal urban park experience, reviewing the repetition in our social system with metaphorical visual elements and bizarre walking routes. Pigeons shall guide the participants to discover the essence of life through exploration step by step….

《鸽子剧院》是一座在虚拟空间中运转的微缩社会剧场，灵感来自曼哈顿的Union Square。在这样的广场上，尽管在其中穿梭的角色各不相同，但站在局外的视角看来，他们的表演和发生的事件却如日常剧本般，在生活的规划中日复一日地运转。剧场由“鸽子”引 导观众经历一次超现实的广场体验，以奇异的游走路线和具有隐喻意味的视觉元素， 对社会系统中的“重复”进行反思。鸽子作为高度参与人类生活的观察者和引导者， 引导观众在探索中慢慢发现生活的本质。

SCENE 1 - 1

The audience enters the arena and finds that there is a half-open door with the sign "STAFF ONLY" written on it.

Passing through that door, audience will see some pigeons under the light.

Line: /

SCENE 1 - 2 (AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE FLOW & INTERACTION)
Interaction: When the audience walks towards the pigeon, the pigeon will fly away. The audience follows the pigeons to the next scene.

SCENE 2 - 1

The pigeons land, the spotlight hits a big arena with some people standing on. A pair of huge hands stretched out from the darkness above the arena. The audience shall move to a high platform (similar to the one used by symphony conductor).

Lines: (chaotic crowd environment sound/screaming/swearing/war background sound)

SCENE 2 - 2 (AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE FLOW & INTERACTION)

Interaction: After standing on the stage, the audience will get a condescending perspective to watch the arena.

Also, on the platform the audience can use the leap motion / VR controller to control the huge hands. When the hands touch down on the crowd, these characters will beat each other. The arena will fall into chaos.

SCENE 3 - 1 

The pigeons land. Some abstract objects floating high in the scene begin to glow. Under the light, audience can see that many people are looking up at these abstract illuminants, some of them are climbing on ladders trying to get close to these illuminants.

Interaction: The audience can change the position of the light spot. Characters in the scene will follow the position of the light spot to move, just like moth chasing the light. Because of the movement, the characters climbing on the ladder will fall off. (The character that fell on the ground will disappear, another characters will climb up the ladder)

line: (some lines to express desire and greed)
 “Got it!”  “Mine!”

SCENE 3 - 2 (AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE FLOW & INTERACTION)
Interaction: The audience can set up ladders in the scene, and the character will then climb the ladder. Audience can use the VR controller to aim and shoot down those characters climbing the ladder. When one character is shot down, another character climbs up.

SCENE 4 - 1

When the pigeons land, audience can vaguely see there is a queue, many characters are lining up. After the lights turn on, the characters walk forward slowly one by one, and the queue begins to move. In the scene there are characters sitting on tall chairs (the kind of super tall chairs for lifeguards on the beach) and shouting below with a trumpet.

Line:
The role of the high place: Stay in line please. Stay in line.
The role of queuing: Where are we going? / What are we lining up for? / Who cares. / Move!

SCENE 4 - 2  (AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE FLOW & INTERACTION)

Interaction: The audience can squeeze into the queue. When the audience walks into the center of the team, audience will find that this queue is a circle connected end to end. The heads of all characters will move according to the position of the audience so that when the audience is in the center of the crew everyone is staring at the audience.

SCENE 4 - 3

When the audience follows the line and continues to move forward, audience will find out that all the characters in the line eventually entered a room. This room is actually a conversion room, transforming people into pigeons.

SCENE 5 - 1

The road to this scene seems to be a little longer than before. The audience will pass through rows of backstage props, and finally come to the front desk of the theater through the red curtains.

The lights turn on, and the audience will see the pigeons are landed on the stage. When audience walk to the front stage, all the character in the theater begin to applause, and the audience will eventually find out that he/she was also an actor in this theatre.

Lines: /

SCENE 5 - 2 (AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE FLOW & INTERACTION)

Interaction:  The audience will see the pigeons are on the stage under a spotlight. When the audience walks by and comes to the center of the stage, the pigeons fly away just like what happened in scene1, then audiences in the theatre start to applause.

Pigeon Theater Presents is a participatory, VR performance with its audience and characters commingling as actors on the stage of everyday life.