Disaster Happening

2011
speakers, projector, vest numbers, emergency lights, rescue blankets, prosecco, megaphone
25'
the officegood luck!persons with the number 36 and 41: please come to the office!go put the plinth in the middle of the hallhere is a plinthput the spots next to the plinthwhere shall we put the spots?emergency lightsgo in and read this text, please.lay out the blankets!laying out the blanketscan you turn on the projector?broadcast from the showergain some insight on how exterior screenplays affect you!planet earthaudience aka participantsthe aid supplies arrive!model of a hurricanecrowddancing peopleproseccodisasterevacuationafterwards

General
This performance was produced for «Who‘s Afraid of Performance Art?», a performance-art festival held in november 2011 in Geneva. It purposefully uses mechanisms often perceived as unpleasant by an audience. All actions are conducted by the audience. By differents means the performers develop a scenario that oscillates between a catastrophe and a surprise party.
The participants are in a camp like situation, the development of which they control themselves. The twist of the performance, its success or failure, is up to the players, who get chosen by the lot and who define the degree of their participation in a room separated from the performers.

Setting
Performers and audience are situated in two rooms seperated by a curtain: by announcements through loudspeakers, people are called out to the office from the hall. The office functions as a kind of operation center. The performers have no knowledge of what happens in the hall.

http://vimeo.com/brigittedatwyler/disasterhappening