The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

In interactive performance, you need to get spects doing things. An easy (but counter-productive) way to accomplish this is by telling them what to do. In other words, instructing them. Unfortunately, this approach also makes things more difficult. If you instruct spects, they may do as they’re told, but they’re unlikely to do anything more. Instead of generating their own ideas, they’ll wait for further instructions. To keep them active you have to keep giving them instructions. It’s a lot of work, and frankly, it’s not much fun. Part of the fun of interactive play is being surprised by the unexpected things that spects bring to the table.

To function as co-creators, spects need to generate their own contributions to the story. That doesn’t happen if they’re waiting around for you to tell them what to do. This is why it’s important to avoid giving instructions, especially when spects first start to play. Even simple instructions, such as “Come in” or “Have a seat” can condition spects to wait for further instructions. This is why it's better to find ways for spects to take action on their own. Invite their contributions and allow room for spects to act on their own ideas. As spects become more proactive, instructions become less of an issue because they’re activated and feel their own autonomy. When spects are playing as co-creators, you have an actual scene partner with whom to explore the narrative.