Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2020 - 42

hile the art of theatrical
performance has evolved
for millennia, technological advances through this
time have allowed for ever-changing ways
to enhance and improve the experience
for actors and audiences alike. From
designing the perfect Greek or Roman
theatre (Sear 1990) to the spectacle of
a crashing chandelier in Phantom of the
Opera or a real helicopter in Miss Saigon
(Anderson 2018), technology has increasingly been integrated in theatres and beyond (Huntington 2019) with astonishing
effect. Incorporating three-dimensional
(3D) technologies, such as photogrammetry, can further this effect (Collins 2015),
expanding the productions into an online
presence extending from before opening
night to beyond the final curtain call.
Photogrammetry is the stitching
together of photographs to create a 3D
model. Software analyzes multiple images (from 10s to 100s depending on
the object size) to find common points of
reference. This process has been a popular method of data collecting for archaeologists (De Reu, et al. 2014), museums
(Robson, et al. 2012), and local cultural
heritage (Lancaster 2018); yet the inherent aims can be equally useful for a theatre. The resulting model can become
a strong tool for publicity and research.
First, the object is frozen in a moment
in time, preserving it from natural wear
and tear. With regard to set design, the
model keeps a record of the set after it is
torn down following the production's run.
Second, the objects can gain heuristic
value through research. A 3D model of
a set previously used by a theatre can be
revisited by a later designer and shared
to the global arts community for inspiration for fellow set designers. Last, and
perhaps most importantly, each model
facilitates advertising and awareness
about not only the play performance but
the theatre itself. It also elicits a digital
platform for interactivity that can begin
before a theatregoer even buys a ticket
to the show and remains long after the
production has ended. For decades,
computer-aided design (CAD) software
has been a conventional tool for set design prior to construction (Carver and
White 2003; Dorn and Shanda 2012).
Photogrammetry offers a useful addition
to digital creation, becoming relevant after the set design process is complete as

42 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | FALL 2020

an instrument of preservation, advertisement, and creative collaboration.

Facilitating Interactivity

Interactivity relates to the interaction
between two or more individuals, or an
individual and an object, within an experience. The importance of interactivity changes with the field and service in
question, but the focus is on the influence
the parties involved have on one another.
This can be as simple as a corporate
board meeting (communication interactivity) or an open-ended video game
(digital interactivity). Theatrical interactivity can also take on many forms to
push forward an immersive experience
for audience members, largely through
improvisatory theatre. The Punchdrunk
theatre company has become internationally renowned for inserting the audience into their productions where they
can interact with various props and cast
members (Biggin 2017). However, on a
smaller scale, theatre companies with
their set designers can extend the set off
stage and into the audience to surround
the viewers with scenery, immersing
them into performance. This immersive
viewing experience looks to invoke a
heightened sensatory interaction, similar
to medieval Christian iconography eliciting a " revered gaze " from parishioners
(Griffiths 2008, 15-36).
Digital interactivity through video
games largely follows a path of immersion where the player becomes enthralled with their gaming experience
enough to temporarily forget their surroundings (Dovey and Kennedy 2006).
Any truly entertaining theatrical performance will provide an audience with
such an immersive experience. In addition, when video game players share
their experience with others, they shift
their form of interactivity from the digital
to communication (Juul 2001). For the
theatre, this can be spread through wordof-mouth or journalistic reviews. These
similarities encourage a more interactive
approach between a theatre and its audience through a digital medium. On stage
this can be provided largely through
videos, but digital interactivity off stage
can extend even further. For decades,
virtual reality (VR) has found a theatrical home in interactive performances
such as Placeholder and Osmose (Dixon
2006). More recently, virtual theatres

have arisen were entire plays are performed by human actors controlling virtual characters on a virtual stage before
a live audience viewing through their
computer (Schweppe and Geigel 2011).
However, this article focuses on more
traditional, stage-based performances.
Photogrammetry brings the stage to the
audience where they can interact with
the set in ways they cannot while attending the show. Whether before or after the
show, those viewing the 3D model can
see the set from every angle, immersing
themselves into the play.
Set-based digital interactivity is
also prevalent in the design community
where designers use 3D model to create their sets as opposed to the customary pencil and paper (Carver and White
2003; Lee 2003; Woodbridge and Tine
2013). Digitizing set design also allows
for ideas and models to be shared and
viewed easily with other members of production (Huse and Strom 2019). Yet, as
often is the case, the final product might
not exactly mirror the initial design. For
instance, a certain design idea might be
great in theory but is unable to be executed for one reason or another. Where
photogrammetry excels is in digitizing
the final product once constructed. It is in
this that a digital model of a set can become most useful for the design process;
it is an artifact of what worked in the
past. Further, 3D models provide quality
tools for virtual reality, such as a set walkthrough and rehearsal (Bonyadi 2018;
McMills 2018). Viewing the model on a
computer provides a simple means of interactivity otherwise unattainable (as one
cannot jump on stage during the show).

Test Subject

The Weathervane Playhouse in Akron,
Ohio gets its beginnings in 1935 through
the dedication of four women: Grace
Hower Crawford, Laurine Schwan,
Helen Troesch, and Muriel MacLachlan.
With help of friends and volunteers, they
staged their first performance in a barn,
the rooftop of which was adorned with a
Chanticleer Rooster. Eighty-five years, a
new venue, and 800-plus performances
later, Agatha Christie's And Then There
Were None, directed by Nancy Cates,
made its way to the stage in October
2019. Scenic Designer Alan Costa constructed the set in keeping with an early
20th century setting. A floral sofa and

Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2020

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