I THINK WE’RE NOW IN A MAJOR TRAJECTORY OF CHANGE IN THIS COUNTRY, IN THIS WORLD, IN TALKING ABOUT IDENTITY AND PLACE, IT’S SO WIDE OPEN.
at themselves not in terms of one space and one place, but a global community. Speaking of books then, the hierarchy, the gate-keepers, are toppled and so you have access to everyone. You have someone from an emerging country who can write their story and we can access that in terms of looking at the world in a different way. It’s in figuring out how to organize, decipher, arrange this vast information that we’re getting, to have a philosophy of that so that it’s not just surface information. Signature: In thinking about the future and our next steps, you also researched video games and virtual reality. What have you taken from those conversations, and how does that element play into the piece? RT: I find it interesting, in terms of this piece, where do we meet, if not on a physical plane, if not in the flesh and blood, how do we connect? Are we moving from our bodies and inward into this other space? These conversations have opened up my mind to a different possibility. In terms of this play, we’re talking about things passing on, what do we Signature: What have your collaborations with the show’s designers been like? RT: The conversations have been really wonderful, each one having their own unique way to approaching theatre, and we’re finding that common language between us to bring the piece to life. It’s set in Chicago, and I love Chicago. It has a very rich history when you think about the Great Migration, and people heading there as this wonderful mecca, and it has a mythology to it, it’s an amazing town that’s epic. It’s fast in places, fast enough and slow enough. It has a big city feel and is very intimate, communal, as well. And you have Obama, Michael Jordan, and Oprah Winfrey want in terms of being in this world? What do we want in terms of legacy, leaving an indelible mark? Can we do that through technology? How we do keep it about flesh and blood, about the human? Certainly all of that is in play right now – is this a passing life experience from anonymous avatar to anonymous avatar, and what do we gain from that in terms of being human beings. Do we always, will we always, need to return to the flesh?
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