🔔Tips & Tricks

Wayfinding: Taxonomy > Other Second Wave Digital Theatre > Tips & Tricks

Supply Chain Issues and the Cost-of-Living Crisis: you might find it difficult to purchase new devices as inflation and international discord continue to cause issues with commerce. Clemence Debaig noted the beginning of this problem in 2020, when she was developing haptic prototypes for Strings: ‘I did need to find components to finish them, and they were very much whatever could still be delivered on Amazon, and I have to plan to make the casing, and all of that. I found this strap I could probably sew something on’. You might find yourself needing to be particularly scrappy when it comes to combining digital, analogue, and physical experiences, working largely with what you and/or your audience already have on hand.

Internet and Mobile Data Signal Strength: internet strength is an important consideration, especially outside, because livestreaming is more difficult when you cannot plug directly into the internet – a problem that Creation Theatre, according to Michael Deacon, investigated once, leading them to decide to pre-record an outdoor show rather than risk dropping out while livestreaming. Grant Knutson also described the difficulty of livestreaming shows outdoors – something he has attempted several times since 2021, and which he has partially solved with a portable router and expensive additional mobile data that he can tether his other devices to. Relying on audience’s mobile devices for some experiences, like Adelaide Liminal, works fine, but not everyone is necessarily going to have a high-quality device; this might limit who can enjoy your shows, or trouble their enjoyment of your work during the show.

Accessibility: just like not everyone will have access to good enough digital devices to access your show – be it cinematic, televisual, virtual reality, or gamified – not everyone will have the physical ability to enjoy corporeal or sensory aspects of your performance. I will separately discuss the benefits of online options for accessibility, but here are a few accessibility considerations based on the shows discussed in this section:

• Allergies and scent sensitivity

• Dietary preferences or issues

• Speed of delivery services or the mail system

• Internet and mobile data access

• The ability to walk, bicycle, or otherwise move around the city – this also depends on how physically accessible certain neighbourhoods are

Not every theatre work is for every person, but it is important to consider who you wish to invite, how you wish to invite them, and how they will experience the show overall.