« Talking Points (Formally MiKnow) Data Model | Main | Noteworks - The Visual Metaphor »

February 01, 2008

Suspicious Packages

We had a hugely productive meeting on Sunday afternoon and have made a lot of headway in the script planning. In fact, we've moved away from the idea of a script completely and have found a great deal of inspiration in a children's game, Mafia.

Mafia is a game where a group of people sit in a circle and a narrator drives the game. The narrator chooses a number of people to be mafia members, unbeknownst to the larger group. The game progresses as the mafia decides which members of the town to kill, and the townspeople, through a process of nomination and voting, decide who they think are guilty. Those who are decided guilty by the town, and also those killed by the mafia, are "killed" and must sit in silence for the rest of the game, but are able to observe the proceedings. Depending on the personality of the group, more and more conditions and roles can be introduced into the town. The game ends when either all the townspeople are dead, or when all of the mafia have been found out.

What makes people suspicious of one another? Many factors could contribute to this phenomenon: race, gender, previous information about the person, social conditioning, the circumstances under which the person is encountered, and the list goes on and on. We want to base a performance around a group of people who are forced to be suspicious of one another and the ways that this affects the group dynamic.

Our idea as it stands now is to frame the experience as if the audience are passengers in an airport, waiting to embark on a flight. They will pass through a "checkpoint" in order to enter the airport gate. As an audience member, the experience should be similar to waiting for a flight - banks of TVs, conversation, chairs, newspapers, magazines, PA announcements, security. However, suspicion rises among the group when alerts are sent out about terror levels, suspicious persons circulate and packages are introduced. The outcome of the "experience" is not predetermined, but the responses to suspicion will determine the sequence of events.

Next week, we are holding a Design Review in DL-1 during the regular GROCS Friday meeting. We hope to play a round or two of Mafia and have a discussion about what arouses suspicion. We're hoping for lots of ideas and inspiration from our lovely colleagues. Have a great, snowy weekend!

Posted by kralko at 04:11 PM | Comments (0)