Theatre / Interactive theatre
Alistair Aitcheson presents interactive clown and video game show double bill
Award-winning interactive performer Alistair Aitcheson has been a professional indie video games developer for 15 years.
Nearly a decade ago, he began to develop games for unusual controllers and test them at the Bristol Improv Theatre, which felt like a natural fit.
Audiences were invited to get out of their seats and play interactive games using barcode scanners, often tying buttons to their own bodies in the process.
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Mixing quirky innovation with “beautiful chaos”, the concept brought him gratification, and more widespread success, too.
“Each of these games were designed to get players moving about with their bodies”, he recalls.
The Incredible Playable Show
“Ultimately, it was about making each other laugh, and turning ordinary people into performers.”
These early experiments formed the basis of Aitcheson’s Incredible Playable Show, which went on to win awards at independent games festivals including IndieCade, Los Angeles.
Alistair Aitcheson
Alongside his passion for game design, Aitcheson has been involved in clown theatre for a number of years, training with the renowned practitioner Holly Stoppit – also in Bristol.
“I’ve long dreamt of mixing video games with clown (and drag!)” he admits. Now, that dream has come to fruition, in Aitcheson’s show My Date with Pierce Brosnan.
Alistair Aitcheson, My Date with Pierce Brosnan
Unique every time, it’s an unpredictable experience starring a dummy of the Irish film star, voiced by the audience. As the show unfolds, the assembled crowd is encouraged to scan a QR code and type into their phone their suggestions for what Brosnan should say next.
“The story can go in these really wild directions!” Aitcheson grins. “But within that the audience tend to develop a shared personality for Pierce Brosnan – sometimes he’ll be very flirty, sometimes he can be a bit snarky, and sometimes he learns a valuable lesson by the end of the show. It can actually be surprisingly sweet!”
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The Incredible Playable Show + My Date with Pierce Brosnan is at the Bristol Improv Theatre on June 26 at 8pm. Tickets are available at www.improvtheatre.co.uk. Find out more at www.alistairaitcheson.com or follow @agaitcheson.
All photos: Filiz Moore
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