In 1967 I played the Ephesus Great Theatre. High school senior class, immersing ourselves in ancient Greek culture as we lived in Izmir Turkey. As a member of the chorus in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, I was well into a life long journey of learning how story creates culture.
I was the AV unit in the Department of Defense high school of less than 200 students, grades 7 thru 12. One interesting note is that for a senior science project, I build an 8 bits digital register from lights, switches and relays that could add and subtract. I was fascinated by all things computer in those days. I never imagined then, that I would be in the lead wave, writing a story for our emerging digital culture.
This project is about building and operating a Digital Amphitheater.
The Ancient Greeks valued the power of the spoken word, it was their main method of communication and storytelling. Amphitheaters were more that a place for storytelling, it was a center of their social engagement. While every modern adult has at least one digital device, our need for real personal interaction does not diminish.
The Digital Amphitheater is a presentation space created by digital technology and a talented team. We will use bits to create, capture and stream our creative efforts and best stories. A Digital Amphitheater should have the ability to interact with its audience via the digital devices that they carry. Also possibly is that the spectators interact with with each other via a "gaming app" on a presentation server. The world is going digital, lets explore what that means to the storytelling process.
What I imagine is me joining a small performance team that has access to a secure studio space. We apply for a Charlotte Street Rocket Grant and if we are lucky, we get a new set of toys to tell stories with.
