The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

Let’s start by defining “difficult” spects. They’re not spects who are hesitant, unsure, or tentative. These are normal behaviors when spects first begin to play. Basic interactive techniques help these spects become connected, activated, and invested. Difficult spects are those who challenge the standard tools.

Spects are difficult for many reasons. The most common is that they’re unclear about expectations. Make sure spects know what they’re getting into by creating an effective portal. Other reasons include feeling awkward about playing make-believe, not wanting to look foolish, having something to prove, or wanting to maintain control. Most are also preoccupied with what others might think.

Playing with difficult spects can be frustrating, but if you view them as the enemy, you’ve lost. Here are some principles to keep in mind when you encounter a difficult spect.

They’re playing as best they know how – Most difficult spects want to play well. Many don’t know how. Only a few are out to mess with things. Regardless of their intentions, it doesn’t help to see difficult spects as “bad.” To play most effectively, assume difficult spects are playing the best they know how.

See what they do as right – If you see the way difficult spects play as “wrong,” you make it harder on everyone. Inter-actors feel frustrated and become aggressive. Spects feel attacked and become defensive. View what spects do as right, no matter how you feel. Seeing difficult offers as right makes it easier to make those offers work within the story.

Make physical contact – Difficult spects are often stuck in their heads. Make physical contact with them. When the body is touched, a different part of the brain lights up which gets difficult spects out of their heads.

Meet them where they are – The key to playing with difficult spects is to meet them where they are. Forcing change doesn’t work. Meet spects where they are and give them room to go where they’ve never been before.

As is obvious by now, you have to go several extra miles to engage with difficult spects. Sometimes they continue to be difficult, no matter what you do. If you’ve tried everything and things are still difficult, there are three more options.

If circumstances allow, leave the difficult spect and go somewhere else. If leaving isn’t possible, the next option is to call out the difficult behavior. This requires finesse. While remaining in character, describe the problematic behavior and state that it needs to change. Don’t let emotion show up. Speak in a simple, matter-of-fact way. Sometimes a difficult spect needs the behavior identified in order to change. The last option is to have the difficult spect removed. Only do this if the spect poses a physical risk to others. Get someone outside the experience to handle this. If you apply interactive techniques well, the final option may never be necessary. I’ve created hundreds of interactive experiences and never once had to have someone removed.

Difficult spect types

Now that we’ve covered the general guidelines, let’s look at how to handle specific kinds of difficult spects.

Out-of-story spect – These are spects who want to talk to you as an inter-actor, not your character. They’re not trying to break the fiction, they just don’t understand that they’re supposed to play within it. With these spects, your best option is to translate what they say into the context of the story and respond appropriately. If they continue to talk out of story, your next option is to respond in and out of story. If that doesn’t work. direct them to someone on the production team who can speak to them out of story.

The spect asks, “Are you a student?” The inter-actor, whose character is not a student, replies, “I’m a student of life.” The spect isn’t satisfied. “No, really. Are you studying acting at the university?” “I fear I haven’t the disposition for a life upon the stage.” By now, the spect is getting frustrated. “Come on. I just want to know where you studied acting.” The inter-actor redirects the spect to the front of house staff. “That’s not information I can provide, but the person at the entrance might be able to help you.”

Anachronistic spect – When interactive experiences are set in other times and places, spects sometimes make anachronistic offers. Your best options are to overlook or translate these offers.

In 16th century England, a family asks Sir Walter Raleigh if they can take a picture with him. Without calling attention to their anachronistic camera, he poses with the family while enlisting the teenaged son as a member of the crew on his next voyage.

Don’t get caught in the game of justifying anachronisms. Gloss over elements that don’t fit and keep the focus on the fictional world. Eventually anachronistic spects will be drawn into the world of the fiction.

Cross-check spect – Some spects want to test the experience. They question your knowledge and point out inaccuracies. Respect their expertise. If there’s a right answer and you don’t know it, don’t make something up. Express gratitude for the spect’s knowledge and let them share it. When cross-check spects feel validated, they ease back on their challenges.

A spect addresses an inter-actor playing an Amish character. “You’re Amish?” “Yes.” “So what’s with the zipper?” “Pardon?” “Your pants have a zipper. Amish aren’t supposed to wear clothes that are plain.” “You have a keen eye, sir. I will rectify this error as soon as I am able.” The spect smiles with satisfaction and teases, “OK, I won’t report you this time.”

Teflon spect – These spects aren’t affected by anything in the fictional world. They don’t get excited, surprised, saddened, or frustrated. It’s tempting to try and provoke emotional responses with extreme offers, but this doesn’t work. Treat the emotional restraint as a character trait. Introduce another character who shares the spect’s point of view. Teflon spects are more likely to open up when they have a compatriot. Physical contact is another effective way to bypass the mental processes that keep them unaffected.

Mona (spect) is getting the results of some recent tests from her doctor. “I’m afraid the results aren’t what we had hoped for. You have breast cancer.” Mona’s expression doesn’t change. She nods her head. “OK.” Her doctor continues, “You understand what this means?” She still is unaffected. “Sure.” In a later scene Mona is seated side-by-side with her no-nonsense grandmother. “So what did your doctor expect you to do? Break down in tears?” “I guess so.” “Well that’s just plain stupid.” “I know, right? It’s not like I’m already dead.”

Contrarian spect – Contrarian spects resist and block almost every offer. The first thing to consider is whether you’re asking questions or making assumptions. Questions invite contrarians to block. (“Aren’t you that movie star?” “No.”) Assumptions are harder to contradict. When a contrarian contradicts, bend and justify. Reinterpret their resistance. Justify how their offer and your offer are both true.

If none of this works, you may need the help of another inter-actor to contrast and connect. It doesn’t change the contrarian’s mind, but it gets them connected with a character in the fiction. When they feel connection, contrarians are less inclined to contradict.

Ginny, an enthusiastic fan, exclaims, “Vance Harwood?! I can’t believe I’m meeting an actual movie star.” Vance (spect) replies, “I’m not a movie star.” Ginny gushes, “No, you’re more than that. You’re a great actor.” The spect is insistent, “I’m not Vance Harwood.” Ginny looks confused, then nods with understanding. “I’m sorry, my mistake.” Then she leans in and whispers, “By the way, I’m a big fan.” Vance rolls his eyes, Ginny snaps a quick selfie and goes on her way. A nearby observer speaks up. “That was weird.” The spect relaxes. “Yeah, tell me about it.” “You do kind of look like him.” The spect smiles. “Yeah, I know.”

When a contrarian is dead set on blocking an offer, you eventually need to accept their truth and adjust the story. Remember, you’re there to play the spect’s story, not yours.

Guarded spect – Some spects want everything explicitly spelled out before they’re willing to engage in the fiction. Your best approach is to remain friendly, clarify ambiguity with defined offers, and reinterpret the subtext of their offers to fit the context.

Susan approaches Kali (spect) for the first time in the story. “Kali, I love your new apartment.” Kali pulls back. “Do I know you?” “Sweetheart, I know I’ve been busy, but I’m still your mother and I wanted to see your new place.” “You’re my mother?” Susan laughs good-naturedly. “Fair enough. I should have come to visit sooner. Here, I brought you a house-warming present.”

When the context is clear, guarded spects eventually join you in the fiction. As you move forward with this kind of spect, continue to use defined offers to clarify who’s who, where they are, and what’s going on.

Meta spect – These spects straddle the line between in-story and out-of-story. They make out-of-story comments while playing within the fiction. Meta spects highlight ways in which belief must be suspended. Respond to what they say as though they’re speaking in-story. Treat the meta-comment as a metaphor. Agree, be vulnerable and emotionally affected.

The spect is playing a theatrical scene about a therapist and patient. The therapist is trying to get the patient to open up about his childhood. The spect says, “I don’t know. It feels like there’s a whole crowd of people watching me right now.” The therapist nods. “That’s understandable. It’s easy to feel like the world is looking at us. What was that like when you were a child?” The spect laughs. “Uncomfortable.” There’s a beat of silence, the spect drops in and speaks again. “Yeah, it was uncomfortable.”

Talker spect – Some spects never seem to stop talking. They use excessive language to keep themselves insulated. When spects talk too much, stay silent and let them keep going until they run out of gas. Then slow down the tempo. Hold the silence before you speak. When you respond, make what you say simple and meaningful. The contrast helps talkers settle down and be more present to what is happening.

Judith is leaving home to join the Peace Corps. Her father is a talker spect who rambles on about international travel, third-world countries, and ways to stay safe. Judith listens patiently until he runs out of things to say. She takes her father’s hand, looks him in the eyes, and says, “I’m going to miss you, dad.” The truth of the moment lands for the spect. He nods. “Me, too, sweetheart.”

Performer spect – Some performers are great spects. Some are difficult. Especially when they try to give a “good performance.” Their difficult behaviors depend on their training. They may be overly dramatic, try to create conflict, attempt to be entertaining, or say “yes, and” to every single offer. They play the way they’ve been taught. Engage with performer spects by truthfully responding to their behaviors within the context of the narrative. It may take some time, but the more real you are with them, the more real they’ll eventually become with you.

The spect is a student actor. When she learns that her friend Carmen didn’t get hired as a temp, the spect reacts melodramatically. “No! No! It’s not right!” Carmen laughs and asks, “What’s up with you? It’s only a stupid temp job.” “How can you say that?!” “I appreciate that you care so much, but it’s not the end of the world.” The spect settles down a little. “You’re going to be OK?” “I’ll be fine.”

Comedian spect – Comedian spects don’t take anything seriously. They’re always trying to be funny and make jokes. Once again, your best course of action is to respond truthfully within the context of the fiction. Stay grounded and connected for long enough and most comedians eventually settle down. If they don’t, change the genre to comedy.

Handsy spect – Some difficult spects make inappropriate physical contact with inter-actors. This may happen when spects drink alcohol or when expectations aren’t clearly communicated in the portal. The way to handle handsy spects is to stop their behavior immediately. Break the physical contact and bark the word “NO!” Then, flip into a cheery attitude, say that you’re leaving, and do so. The shock of the strong rebuke followed by a friendly departure creates disruptive confusion that keeps the situation from escalating. If the behavior continues, have someone outside the story escort the handsy spect from the experience.

The biggest challenge with difficult spects is the mind-game inside yourself. Stay loose; have fun. The more relaxed you are, the easier it is to play with whatever the spect brings. There’s tremendous satisfaction to be had when a difficult spect becomes a collaborative partner.