" The idea is to observe every aspect and nuance of spectator reactions to a theatrical experience, from the moment he or she crosses through the entrance, to the moment that they leave, not just in response to what happens in the defined, conventional boundaries where the purely theatrical action unfolds, but including what transpires in the physical spaces outside of the stage, immediately before a core piece commences and after it has concluded.
The filming of the exit sequence will also allow an analysis of public gestures, feedback, comments and honest expressions of frustration or relief, indifference or disgust from audience members, reflecting all its potential and unpredictable diversity, whether positive or negative opinions, a tactful peek at how the public have assimilated or disassociated themselves from what they have just witnessed.
The public have been an important component part of everything that has unfolded from the outset, even if relegated to the perspective of passive, powerless onlookers confronted with bewildering situations that are totally out of their control.
By capturing on camera their spur-of-the-moment, spontaneous reactions, it will be possible to gauge how quickly they have been able to divest themselves of the psychological grasp and aftereffects of the production.
It will also be interesting to evaluate how different individuals take more or less time to regain their hold on the course of events, how long it takes for them to get back to normal and recover from the assault on their senses.
The surprise appearance of the play’s author, who will probably be recognised by some in the local audience, is the concluding provocation of the piece, the closing twist in the game, like the signature at the bottom of the manuscript."

 

Francisco Javier Oliva