Virtual Performances for Live Audiences
Angela Washko
PERFO, Telakka Theater
Tampere, Finland
March 03, 2013
I performed a reenactment and added voice narration to a discussion I'd had inside World of Warcraft for a live audience in Tampere, Finland followed by a Q&A session. Before this I had to give a brief overview on what World of Warcraft is to allow everyone to understand what I was doing and how to look at the screen (so if that is boring to you, I recommend skipping ahead to 04:49). I began the discussion inside the game by asking players to discuss feminism with me. Ultimately the conversation drifted into many different themes including communism, women in the labor industry, hiring discrimination, periods, and much more. During this performance (in Finland - not inside the game), I had a particularly aggressive male audience member who got a bit belligerent with me three times. I feel like I handled him fairly well. Facilitating discussion and managing the emotional states of players in game has helped me do the same "in real life"/in physical spaces outside of the screen.