Performance as Research

This chapter looks at the variables of audience response and engagement within live performance. Using my TDVY performance in the way down deep (2023) as a case study, I reflect on modes of individual audience response and the spectrum of influence that an audience can have on each other. I offer considerations of boundaries and power dynamics within performance, and strategies to aid an ensemble in authentically engaging with an audience. I also discuss tools for reflection and modification during the performance run.