DIRECTING PROCESS OF “CHAO KHAO YOO” AN ONLINE SITE-SPECIFIC IMMERSIVE PERFORMANCE

Abstract

The purposes of this practice as research are to study the creative process of a site-specific immersive performance and to direct Narit Pachoei’s “Chao Kao Yoo” as an online site-specific immersive performance through the Zoom Cloud Meeting application. Besides adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, this creative research also attempts to move towards the metaverse, which might be a new approach to making theatre in the future.

            I, as the researcher, have analyzed the collected data concerning the topic and synthesized them into the directing process of “Chao Kao Yoo” which determined to make 3 crucial elements of an immersive performance, according to Rose Biggin, suitable for an online space by: 1) converting the space and environment from an abandoned building on Yaowarat Road, which was the original intended space, into a Zoom Cloud Meeting virtual space. 2) Using polychronic narration to allow the audience to independently pluralize and de-linearize the narratives. And 3) incorporating games and activities to encourage audience-to-narratives, audience-to-audience, and audience-to-characters interactions. Then, I present the play to the public. The results indicate that unifying all 3 elements of immersive performance can help the audience believe that they are placed in the center of the performance and have interactions with the story nearly as effectively as attending a site-specific performance in physical venues. I, nonetheless, suggest that there be more research concerning the creation of online site-specific immersive performances on various other platforms. By doing so, I hope the dramatic arts can move more creatively towards metaversal staging, which can be beneficial for the future.