The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

When the setting for a scene is visible—whether in the real-world, a virtual world, or on a physical set—the location is automatically established. However, when the environment only exists in the imagination, the location needs to be established by the players.

When establishing the context of a scene, the characters and activity are obviously important. Why does location matter? Because it affects the tone of the entire scene. A marriage proposal beside a mountain lake is very different than a proposal in the middle of Times Square. Location sets the contextual tone for a scene.

Generating the location

In imagined-world stories, scenes can be set anywhere. You’re not limited by budget, physics, or even reality. If your scenes frequently wind up in bars, living rooms, and kitchens, the 6 locations tool can serve you well. The categories of home, work, leisure, errands, transportation, and safe place can help you discover a wide variety of settings.

When coming up with a location, beware of generalities. The idea of “home” isn’t enough. Is it a double-wide trailer, a condo, a McMansion? And where exactly? The entry hall, the walk-in closet, the back balcony? Be specific about the location.

Another way to generate locations is to tell the backstage story. What happens behind the scenes of a character’s public life? While Professor Hernandez could obviously be in the classroom, she might also be found in the faculty lounge, the dean’s office, the university parking lot, or a utility closet in the student union.

Identifying the location

Once you know where you are, establish the location with space work. Physically engage with the environment. Just remember that space work can be ambiguous. If you’re wiping off a long, flat surface, it might be the lunch counter of the Busy Bee Café, a lab counter in the research facility of Kendall Cosmetics, or a body cart in the Crescent City Morgue. Space work keeps you active. Verbal specificity puts everyone on the same page.

The process of identifying the location can be done as a funneling process. Space work implies several locations. Oblique verbal offers narrow down the possibilities. A defined verbal offer identifies the location explicitly.

David uses space work to establish a vehicle with the hood up. (The location could be a driveway, a garage, or by the side of a road.) He calls out to the spect, “Hey Stu, I need that radiator cap for the Whitmore’s SUV.” (The location might be a mechanic’s shop.) Stu hands over an imaginary radiator cap, and David looks at it thoughtfully. “In high school, if someone had told you that we’d wind up working at Tri-City Auto Repair, would you have believed them?” (The location is explicitly identified.)

If you have a location in mind, and someone explicitly identifies it as someplace else, you don’t have to abandon your idea entirely. Look for a way to combine both ideas.

Keenan is establishing a scene set in a movie makeup trailer. He’s laying out his makeup supplies as he talks with the movie’s star, but he hasn’t identified the location explicitly. Another player enters, and says, “Wow, your mom’s house is awesome. Is the table set yet?” In Keenan’s mind the make-up trailer becomes the dining room of his mother’s home, where he has set up his make-up supplies. “Yep, I’ve got the make-up laid out. You can let the director know that I’ll have Cassie ready for her scene in a few minutes.”

When someone else starts a scene, pay close attention to the details they establish. Where are the major set elements located? It’s disconcerting when a player walks through the space where a set piece has been established. Honor the space work created by other players.

Locations are an essential part of context. When imagined-world locations need to be established, space work and specificity help spects know where they are, allowing them to play more freely.