Our learnings from Theatre Deli’s Shift+Space
Reflecting on our experience and learnings with Theatre Deli’s Shift+Space programme
On the 14th and 15th of June 2024, we were lucky to have an opportunity to further develop our project, ‘Where We Meet’, with Theatre Deli’s Shift+Space programme. Although Where We Meet had already undergone quite extensive research and development, Shift+Space provided a crucially important opportunity to test and refine our ideas in real-time with the help of a live audience.
What is Shift+Space?
Shift+Space is an innovative programme by Theatre Deli, providing a free performance opportunity for artists to present their work in a real performance space, with the added benefit of allowing artists to keep 100% of the box office. Designed to encourage experimentation and growth, Shift+Space is a 2-day programme where artists can showcase their current work-in-progress to an audience and gather feedback on day one, and then edit and refine their performance for a second presentation on day two, with further opportunity to gather audience feedback too.
What were our objectives and what did we want to test?
Our primary focus was to explore how to support our audience best when entering and exiting the performance. In Where We Meet, we give the audience tracking devices and headphones, letting them tune into the inner thoughts of the characters in real time. The space itself is set up as a free-roaming environment, allowing the audience to get close to the dancers which completely breaks away from traditional theatre conventions. This is why it’s so important to onboard the audience properly from the start, so they feel comfortable navigating the space and can fully immerse themselves in the performance. It’s all about creating that freedom to explore while still feeling part of the story.
We had three main objectives we wanted to explore in this area:
Supporting the technical onboarding
We needed to ensure that the audience understood how to use the technology provided, primarily headphones, without feeling overwhelmed. The technology is actually pretty straightforward and requires minimal input from the audience once installed on their bodies. But for many people it can still feel daunting at first, thinking ‘what am I supposed to do with this’. This was about making the experience as simple and user-friendly as possible.
Setting expectations and rules
As our performance encourages active participation, we wanted to clearly communicate to the audience that they were not just passive observers but were invited to move around, interact with the dancers, and fully engage with the space. This required us to establish some ground rules for acceptable audience behaviour - we have learnt from previous performances that this concept of allowing audiences in the space is a bit of a new paradigm for most people.
Supporting audience mindful entrance and exit
Given that our performance deals with themes of mental health, it was crucial to prepare the audience mentally for what they were about to experience. We wanted to welcome them into the space and help them transition from their everyday mindset—whether coming from work or social activities—to the right headspace to engage with the performance. Equally as important, we wanted to ensure the audience was supported at the end of the performance with a thoughtful exit process, to allow them to decompress and process what they had experienced.
What we learned from day one and day two
To achieve our objectives, on day one we implemented a guided onboarding process using voiceovers. This allowed us to deliver consistent, clear instructions every time. The voiceover included practical steps, as well as a grounding exercise where the audience was invited to close their eyes, take deep breaths, and mentally prepare for the performance.
The feedback from this approach was overwhelmingly positive. The audience felt well taken care of and more comfortable engaging. However, we realised that our exit process needed further refinement. Initially, it was a simple thank you to the audience, but after reflecting on day one, we saw the need for a more meaningful closure. On day two, we adjusted the exit by inviting the audience to gather in the middle of the space, where they could acknowledge each other’s presence and share a brief moment of connection before leaving. This small change significantly enhanced the sense of community and shared experience.
Fun anecdote, to enable those changes between day 1 and day 2, we needed to quickly re-record the outro voiceover and desperately tried to find a quiet space at Theatre Deli while other companies were rehearsing in nearby studios. The quietest space we found ended up being in the shower. Here’s our makeshift recording studio with Clem, Livia and Brendan piled up in the shower!
Overall learnings about the performance
Our time with Shift+Space was incredibly beneficial and we gained additional valuable insights beyond our initial objectives that will inform the future development of our work:
Voiceover and guided moments
The use of voiceovers for both onboarding and exiting was a huge success. It ensured consistency and clarity in communication, helping the audience to feel grounded and prepared. The guided moments, particularly the grounding exercise at the start, and the communal gathering at the end, were key in enhancing the overall experience.
Decompression space
We introduced a decompression room where the audience could reflect, write down their thoughts, or simply take a moment for themselves before leaving. This space was optional, but it proved to be an important addition, providing a necessary outlet for those who needed extra time to process their emotions. We also included a list of mental resources and charities.
Lighting
This was the first time we had access to a proper lighting desk which allowed us to experiment with lighting cues– which in turn helped clarify the structure of the performance for the audience. We previously lit the performance exclusively from our interactive projections. But this time we supplemented the projections with stage lights and realised that giving clear moments of blackout and fading were key to the understanding of the performance. This was especially true at the end, where previously people had trouble understanding that the performance was finished.
Accessibility
Theatre Deli has a strong commitment to accessibility and, at the time, we were not yet in a position to offer additional accessible formats (eg BSL interpreters). For Shift+Space, we committed to doing one ‘relaxed’ performance. We learned important lessons doing this; whilst relaxed performances usually have brighter lighting to make it more accessible, we found that it had the opposite effect for ‘Where We Meet’ - more lighting made the audience feel more self-conscious and less free to move and interact because they could see each other. This insight will guide our future approach to accessibility, as we recognise that immersive performances require a more co-creative approaches. We can't just use conventional best practices from traditional theatre-making as they don't always apply in this context.
Marketing
We received feedback that the emotional impact of the performance was much greater than the audience had expected based on our marketing materials. This was both a positive and a challenge—it’s wonderful that the performance resonated so deeply, but it also means we need to refine our messaging to better prepare the audience for the experience they will have.
In conclusion, our experience with Theatre Deli’s Shift+Space programme was incredibly enriching. It allowed us to test and refine key elements of our performance, gather valuable feedback, and gain new insights that will shape the future of our work. We are excited to continue developing this project and look forward to sharing its evolution with all of you.
