Taking a second look at Allam Lecture Theatre, I initially regretted choosing it as a space - if no other reason than because it's so often in use during university hours, making it hard to experiement in the space!
However, composing a short piece for it from a different angle, I wanted to use the space itself in some way, but keep an aspect of audience participation.
I decided, to experiment with allowing the audience to 'play' the space themselves, by giving each member of the audience a different type of percussion beater. The outcome is similar the Brice Catherin's "Seven Hammer Ladies" within his "Symphonie pour une femme seule".
Obviously, they will need to be briefed on certain objects which they may not hit, and given an explanation of a suitable level of force...
Objects which produce interested sounds include the legs of the chairs and tables; the banisters at the edges of the stairs; tabletops; folded-up chair seats; doors at the back of the room. I'm confident that a sizeable audience would also find interesting sounds, which I have overlooked.
I think it would be important to have around three performers mixed into the audience, to encourage the audience to overcome any hesitations about joining in, and to direct the flow of the piece - if they start off by playing quietly, then possibly the audience would be likely to follow, by example.
The performers would be free to play and experiement as much as the audience, and it would be permissable for them to both play in a rhythmic cohesion with each other, and to ignore each other completely.
The idea is to create an environment for the audience to play and explore, and to see and experience the space around them in a new way.
This feels like a more engaging way for the audience to experience the space - essentially playing space. I'll be delivering a lecture on that very subject a little later in the course! We must get the whole class to come to Brice's event in Middleton Hall too.
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