audience participation

[snaperj]

I am curious to here people’s thoughts on audience participation in HI. This weekend I watched a final round where the performer encouraged the audience to clap and chant along with him. In our area, we generally have parents as judges and they are easily won over by something like this. Does anyone have any thoughts or know of any rules regulating this?

[vote4frodo]

we were taught not to communicate with the judges when performing...could be wrong

[flyfarfromhere]

i don't know about any rules, but i wouldn't be fond of a piece with audience participation. i heard of someone who did "too much light makes the baby go blind," a piece that i (unsuccessfully) did two years ago. the actual play is completely audience participatory. in the theatre, the audience would decide which short story would be acted out next, and in the end, they were all drawn together somehow. from what i hear (i never actually saw this kid), he did just about the same thing, where the audience decided his piece and he brought it together at the end. i like the idea in theory - it seems very innovative and interesting - but i don't think i'd like it in practice.

[jman255]

Mitch Bryan?

[Postdestined]

I would just to be safe ask the judge, because making an assumption like that is just the kind of think that would get "kyles mom" judges pissy.

[SniffyGuy]

As far as I'm concerned, audience participation simply goes against the point of interpretation. At NFL quals last year, a judge I had decided to read to us what the instructions on the back of the ballot were, and they essentially said that in the end, the 1 should go to the performer which most effectively transported the audience outside of the classroom and into the world in which the piece takes place. Interpretation is all about creating something out of nothing and taking the audience with you, suspending their belief that you're a kid in a suit at the front of a classroom. Thus, if you completely break down that fourth wall and use blatant audience participation (and not simply altering say, timing, in respsonse to their laughter, etc...), you're back to being a kid in a classroom performing a piece and have thus failed at doing what Interp is all about.

[soye822]

that drives me insane when ppl try to get the audience involved b/c its not what HI is about-then again that may just be me.

[Cap'n Crunk]

OK UM HES A GOD****ED MORON...im not sure but isn't that a prop...? audience participation is something that should be known by any kid that has done speech before and is just a stupid waste of time, and on top of that how come none of you grieved him?! even if this kid does well state wide with parent judges nationally he will go straight 4s

[Chewie]

I share CC's feelings. It's silly.

This is interpretation of a piece of literature. Nothing more. Not audience participation. Not audience interpretaion. Just someone performing a piece as they can most entertaingly (sic?) interpret it.

And yeah, using audience members in a piece, even indirectly, could be considered prop use. Perhaps.

[IERULZ]

This has a coralary to the "stack the room" thread. While there is no overt request for audience participation, which I agree is really lame unless you are performing at some church camp sing-along, isn't stacking the room with friends / team mates who all laugh on cue in the same vein?

[Chewie]

Eh, maybe. But this is sort of asking unknowing people to participate, as opposed to having people with actual INTENTION to DECEIVE the judge into making a piece seem better.

[Cap'n Crunk]

no not really i don't know about you guys but i love to have a finals stacked with people personally it gives me energy. I mean dont you love when a room is so filled with people that when you're done with the piece your suit is damp?

[sassafrassz]

I mean dont you love when a room is so filled with people that when you're done with the piece your suit is damp?

YES.