The Encounter, Simon McBurney’s riveting one-man show, created by London-based theatre company Complicite, is currently on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre through January 8. The story is based on that of Loren McIntyre, a National Geographic photographer, who found himself lost among the Mayoruna people of the remote Javari Valley in Brazil in 1969. McBurney traces McIntyre into the depths of the Amazon rainforest, using binaural technology, or 3D audio, to build an intimate and shifting world of sound. The audience wears headphones throughout the performance in order to fully experience the visually and aurally stunning world created on stage—and inside their heads—creating a heart-stopping performance. The creative team comprises Michael Levine, sets; Paul Anderson, lighting; Will Duke, projection; and Gareth Fry and Pete Malkin, sound.
Read Live Design's Q&A with Fry about this unique aural experience. Listen to the soundbites below, and watch the video excerpt of The Encounter.
"On The Screen Of His Mind"
"Loren Arrives"
"Photography"
Video Excerpt of The Encounter
For more, download the November issue of Live Design for free onto your iPad or iPhone from the Apple App Store, and onto your Android smartphone and tablet from Google Play or read the interactive PDF.