Digital Audiences: The Model of the Future?

The digital performing arts have rapidly further developed over the course of the recent years. New formats have been tried out, artists have programmed their own tools, dramaturgies of the internet culture have been applied, networks have been expanded and new audiences have also been reached. Projects in digital or hybrid space function beyond individual geographic regions and a variety of barriers are able to be additionally reduced. New models for society are tested out in unique ways with unique methods in performative playful situation that are experienced together. Participatory digital projects can deal with relevant questions and an accessible way as societal laboratories and, in doing so, can create utopias.

In this exchange, jointly curated and organized by HAU Hebbel am Ufer and the Berlin Performing Arts Program, we would like to place our focus on the audience of digital formats. Over the course of three workshops, networking opportunities and a panel discussion, we will reflect upon new forms of interaction and participation, ask ourselves who we are not (yet) reaching, how schedules of programming and PR work change through the co-creation by the audience and what power structures are hidden within design processes. What is the relationship between artists, institutions and this new audience? And what role do community building and the gamification of the performing arts play in a new understanding of the audience?

Schedule of Events

2:00 pm
Accreditation and Coffee

2:30 pm
Opening Greeting and Introduction
With Susanne Schuster (OutOfTheBox), Sarah Reimann & Lisa Mara Ahrens (HAU Hebbel am Ufer) and Sarah Stührenberg (The Berlin Performing Arts Program)

The curatorial team opens the event and provides information on the content and organisation of the day.

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm / HAU3
Workshop 1: Interactive Storytelling (German)
With Laura Tontsch (theatre director, narrative designer)

Deciding on something, enabling something, solving something, responding to something – first and foremost, interactive storytelling means that listeners and viewers (i.e. online audiences) have to be an active part of an experience in order to advance or even influence the narrative. In this workshop, we will look at the aspects of conventional storytelling that can become interactive levers and the according possibilities that can arise. We will also develop and test our own small prototypes.

Laura Tontsch is a theatre director and narrative designer who experiments with digital forms of storytelling. This has led to interactive stage performances, Instagram games, a TikTok opera, and numerous augmented reality (AR) experiences. As a narrative designer, she recently co-developed the AR app for the Berliner Ensemble.
https://lauratontsch.com/

Workshop 2: Everything I Wanted to Know About UX and Was Afraid to Ask (German)
With Susa Lie (UX designer, lecturer)

User Experience Design (UX) offers new approaches to engaging with audiences in the cultural sector. This workshop serves as a brief introduction. We will explore collaborative design, examine problems and solutions, and take your specific experiences into account through practical exercises. Collaborative methods will expand your repertoire, helping you find new ways to engage audiences and include them in your artistic discourse.

Susa Lie is a freelance UX designer and lecturer for UX. Originally from a musical background, she also worked in film before becoming a web designer. She has been involved in volunteer work for years, e.g. with IchbinkeinVirus, World Usability Day Berlin and Ladies that UX Berlin.
https://susalie.de/

Workshop 3: Collective Virtual Reality Experiences (German)
With Lena Biresch (game programmer, VR experience designer)

Digital technology, social media, and games have significantly changed the role of audiences. Often more than mere spectators, they become players, users, testers, co-creators, and communities. Virtual reality (VR) has been a major element in this evolution: As a medium that individuals experience in many different contexts, VR offers countless opportunities for immersive and collective experiences within the performing arts. In this workshop, we will use asymmetrical VR games to discover alternative approaches, play together and have a discussion.

Coming from a background in theatre, Lena Biresch has been working with new immersive and interactive media since 2016. Since completing her training in game programming, she has been working as a freelance VR experience designer at the intersection of performing arts and digital art.
https://www.lenabiresch.de

7:00 pm / HAU1
Lecture and panel discussion: The Audience as Co-creator: Gaming, Performing Arts and New Forms of Interaction (German)

With Clara Ehrenwerth (machina ex), Peter Kettner (Auswärtes Amt), Manouchehr Shamsrizi (Game Lab Berlin), Thorsten Wiedemann (A Maze Festival), Sarah Reimann (HAU Hebbel am Ufer) and further guests, moderation: Anja Quickert (author, dramaturg, DFG research group “Constellations of Crisis”)

8:30 pm: Conclusion of the evening at CAN
 

Accessibility

The event will be held in German spoken language. A whisper translation into English is possible during the workshops upon prior request. Questions can also be asked in English.

You can find information about the accessibility of HAU Hebbel am Ufer and contact information for any questions regarding possible barriers here.