For the final project, I think it’d be interesting to explore the idea of collaboration. Following the theme of having characters interact with each other in our pairings in the previous performance, I think we can expand that idea to include the whole class. This performance would focus on the journey of a team as they work towards a common goal. Throughout the performance, the audience can observe how individual teammates interact with each other, how the progress of the task affects the overall team dynamic and spirit, and at completion, how the team celebrates (or not) together.

This was inspired by the scene that Professor Zeglin pointed out in class in the video of our previous performance, where the feathers of one particular character were trembling as it interacted with the other one. I think there’s a lot of nuances within teamwork and personal interactions that have the potential to be communicated in similar ways.

Since this is a pretty abstract concept, it could be explored through a wide range of tasks, characters, and events. Perhaps each character has a different strength and weakness, and the team as a whole has to figure out how to work with that. Perhaps there’s a disagreement between two teammates, and the other characters have to step in and resolve it. Maybe the task is futile, and it’s apparent to the audience that the characters will never accomplish it.

For a specific example, using the same platform of linkages and stepper motor bases, the characters could try to move a stack of objects from one end to the other in an assembly line arrangement. It’s possible that one or a few characters drops an object and loses it. The reactions and emotions of the teammates could be displayed, either through movements or changes in lighting, until the task is complete.