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the way in which a spect enjoys playing
When people go through a Halloween haunt, they have different responses. Some scream, cower, cling to their friends, and when it’s over, exclaim, “That was awesome!” Others scream, cower, cling to their friends, but when it’s over, they’re not happy. Not happy at all. Some like being scared and some don’t. Their initial behaviors may be similar, but the subtext is different. If you’re paying attention, you can tell who enjoys being scared and who doesn’t.
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There are many contributors to an interactive story. Inter-actors, directors, designers, and authors all play important roles. But at its heart, an interactive narrative is the spect’s story.
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the spect’s successful achievement of a goal
Stories are full of struggles to achieve goals—from small goals, to scene goals, to the overarching story goal. Some goals are won; others are lost. Overall, spects should win more than they lose. It builds their confidence and keeps the story moving forward.
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When you finish playing with spects, as wonderful as the experience may have been, the most significant value is still waiting to be had—the opportunity for spects to reflect on the journey they just traveled. This not only serves spects by giving them the time to consider their experience, it also provides you with valuable feedback to hone your interactive skills. Whenever possible, debrief spects after playing with them.
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A magician climbs the steps to a platform, high above the stage. He is covered with a cloth. There’s no place he can hide. The platform is raised up into the air. At this point, if you try to figure out how the magician is going to disappear, you’re too late. It doesn’t matter how closely you watch. The trick has already been done.
Exercises
A scene is played in which Player A is the inter-actor and Player B plays as a difficult spect.
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Audience participation is nothing new. Magicians, comics, clowns, and street performers have been dragging “volunteers” into their acts for years. They don’t give their victims much of a choice. To be fair, their purpose isn’t usually to empower participants; it’s to have a foil to play off of. As an inter-actor, your agenda is different. You’re looking for a participant who will become a co-creator of the story.
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a discussion in which spects reflect on their experience of play
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the person responsible for the off-stage spect experience
The spect wrangler is a position unique to interactive performance. This person handles recruitment, communications, and hosting of spects for rehearsals and performances. Here is an overview of the responsibilities.
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an unrehearsed participant in an interactive performance, often the protagonist
The term spect-actor comes from the work of Augusto Boal. It refers to a spectator who becomes an actor, thus a spect-actor. The term is hyphenated so that it isn’t misread as spectator. The abbreviation for spect-actor is “spect.”
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