On Thursday evening, I had the pleasure of attending an invited dress rehearsal of Prima Theatre’s new experimental show, “Blank.” With this performance, Prima explores a greater level of audience participation—while some performances merely encourage audience participation or isolate a single audience member to contribute, “Blank” demands the participation of almost the entire audience.
Typically, I shy away from performances that incorporate the audience—I prefer to take the role of the “passive observer” or “passive consumer” that Bertolt Brecht describes (and critiques) in his essays. But, as Brecht demonstrates, this kind of role is not a fruitful one; and, despite my initial discomfort at being made to participate very minimally, I found that my involvement enhanced my enjoyment of the performance, which is structured by the communal construction of a script.
The show opened with a quick introduction from the compere, who made an inspiring note about Lancaster and its arts: “Lancaster doesn’t just have to consume great theatre; we can create it.”
After this introduction, the guest performer for the night, Megan Witkovsky (Patron Connections Director), took charge of the show. Perhaps the greatest value of the show can be found in its surprising moments, so I won’t spoil so much of the fun with this review. I can, however, say this without giving away too much: throughout the show, the guest performer must read from a script that is laden with missing information (“Blank” spaces). But the guest performer is not the only participant that fills in the script’s blanks. Early in the show, the guest performer elects an audience member to serve as the principal “character” in the script she constructs along with the audience. The guest performer brings this audience member to the center of the stage and asks them, and the audience members, to fill in the blank spaces of the script. In just about an hour, the guest performer and the audience complete the script for an autobiography about the principal character with the information offered to fill the blanks. The rapid pacing—which often challenges everyone involved (including the audience) to think faster—makes for great humor and enjoyment.
Throughout “Blank,” the script indicates several reasons that shoot down any contentions about the unimportance of spontaneous or improvisational performance. Perhaps the most obvious of these reasons is stated by the guest performer: “Ignorance propels us forward.” Far from being a cynical note about human progress, the comment equates the importance of improvisation with daily progress; just as the improv performer and the audience are tied together by the uncertainty of a scriptless show, humans unite and commiserate with each other around the uncertainty of the world’s future.
Despite a few technical issues with the microphones, Prima put on a spotless show that elicited many laughs. Witkovsky did a phenomenal job of projecting her voice and adapting to an unknown script.
“Blank” occupies an unconventional space in the wide body of theatrical literature in that it presents a kind of experience most audiences never see. It straddles the line between improv and traditional drama, and challenges the audience to participate in the construction of such gray space. By seeing “Blank,” you take part in a complex theatrical discourse, and you walk away feeling a little bit lighter about your connection to others.
“Blank” opens today, Friday, Sept. 11, at Prima Theatre, and it will close on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Senior Charlie Burns is the Editorials Editor. His email is cburns1@fandm.edu.