REBECCA E SPITZER

For our tangible user interface project, my group has decided to tackle problems associated with the theatrical rehearsal process. In a single rehearsal, actors may run through a show and receive brief feedback from a director. Without taking copious notes, however, it is difficult to analyze or review the rehearsal or progress made over time. Our goal is to provide more data and analysis to theatrical teams, increasing their ability to learn from rehearsals and rehearsal critique, without adding any additional work to their rehearsal process.

Our proposed interface will consist of four tangible objects (or sets of objects) and will be used in two phases. In the first phase (the recording phase) three objects will be used to record data about a rehearsal. An installed video camera will record any scenes being practiced. Location tags worn by actors will record who is onstage or offstage during said scenes. A computerized note-taking system (ie: tablet computers, computerized pens, etc) will be used by people watching the rehearsal to document critiques or congratulations. In the second phase (the review phase) a single object will be used to review data about past rehearsals. A Microsoft Surface (or other multi-touch surface) will display video footage of rehearsals tagged with notes at the moment the notes were taken during the rehearsal. Notes can also be reviewed separately or sorted by note-taker or note-receiver. Video footage will also be sorted by actor, so an actor can view a whole rehearsal or only their scenes. All of this data will have been processed and analyzed by the Surface.

Overall, the project should help theatrical teams to get more out of rehearsals and create a more collaborative process of review and critique, both for singular rehearsals and for the entire process over time. I’m specifically drawn to this project as a stage manager; I have been working in theater since I was 14 and have often been frustrated by the process of giving notes to actors and reviewing rehearsals. For example, being able to quickly take lines notes on a tablet that would be automatically tagged to video and sent to actors to review at a later date would be amazing. Though the project is extensive, we will hopefully be able to implement enough aspects to prove its worth as a tangible user interface.