Appropriating Technology for Interactive Media in Theatre: Design Strategies and Aesthetic Insights

Ruoxi Jia; Xuebiao Liu

Appropriating Technology for Interactive Media in Theatre: Design Strategies and Aesthetic Insights
Image credit: Ruoxi Jia; Xuebiao Liu

Abstract:

This paper investigates interactive media design as a narrative agent in theatrical performance through a practice-based design approach. We clarify the role of the Interaction Director in the production team and examine challenges in appropriating technology for theatrical interaction design. A two-layer workflow is proposed, integrating macro-scale conceptual design with micro-scale cue-to-cue interaction mapping. We address the mutual dependency among creative disciplines, highlighting the collaborative processes necessary to resolve conflicts during the design and rehearsal stages. Furthermore, we adopt a scenographic perspective to analyse how interactive media contributes to dramaturgical storytelling by crafting visual and auditory metaphors. We contextualize interaction design with reader- response theory and the horizon of expectations, demonstrating how interactive media fosters collaborative creativity and expands the narrative potential of theatrical storytelling.