A state-of-the-art mix of live performance and virtual technology sets the stage for Word. Sound. Power. 2021, an interactive hip-hop and spoken word concert presented by the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). This one-night-only event on Friday, April 23, 2021 features emcees Sa-Roc, Okai, and Nejma Nefertiti, poet Peggy Robles-Alvarado, and dancer Jade Charon and was created in conjunction with ViDCo (Virtual Design Collective), innovative designers who create live performances through virtual platforms. Live Design speaks with Mikal Amin, a Brooklyn-based hip-hop artist who programs Word. Sound. Power. for BAM, and ViDCo's graphics and content designer Andrés Poch, as this annual event returns in a new iteration.
Live Design: Can you talk a little about the virtual platform technology used for Word. Sound. Power. 2021...
Andrés Poch: To host this event we will be having both performers and audience on Zoom to enable interaction between them. This way, performers can see the audience, react to their acts, and the audience can show their love for the performance. When it comes to the design and programming of the event, we are using Isadora from Troikatronix to capture, edit, and mix the performances live. This allows for a look unique to remote performance and allows us to be fully reactive to what the performer is doing. We are able to overlay graphics, change the color and look of the performer, and even duplicate and abstract our dancers to have a look that is unique to this platform, all while staying live. This allows us to react to the performer in real time, so they can focus on their performance and we can focus on heightening that through design. This whole process is being developed by our ViDCo team as we build the show, so we have several research and development sessions internally to discover unique ways in which to best translate and expand the stage performance.
LD: What elements are "interactive?"
Andrés Poch: We have two types of interaction happening in this event. First, we have our connection to the audience to allow for a sense of liveness and to make sure the performers know how excited people are about their act. We are doing this by spotlighting our stage camera on Zoom so the audience knows what to focus on but they still get a small view of the audience to get that sense of community. As for the performer, they see the audience in gallery view as they would see an audience from the stage, while also having a view of the stage so they have awareness of their location and look. There will also be moments where the host(s) can interact with the audience by addressing individuals by name, further emphasizing the liveness of the event and the connection between audience and performers.
LD: Where are the performers, are they working from their homes? Do you work with them on lighting, etc....
Mikal Amin: The performers will be all in their respective locations. ViDCo and our show director Baba Israel have been helping them prep their space, costumes, etc. to take full advantage of the technology’s capabilities.
Andrés Poch: Most of our performers are performing from their homes or personal studios, which has presented some challenges to make sure we have enough depth to capture their full performance. As for the lighting, most of the light effects we have on the show are being produced and overlaid digitally so our main priority in each performer's space is to get an evenly lit green screen and performer, which can prove to be tricky when working in smaller spaces. We, as ViDCo, have developed plug-and-play tech kits which we ship to performers for performance. For this project, each performer received a kit with a specific microphone, green screen, webcam, ring light, ethernet cable, and all the necessary cables and adapters. This provided kit allows for a uniform look amongst all performers, and also allows us to be as helpful as possible when troubleshooting, as we are familiar with the details of the equipment we ship out.
LD: How does the technology enhance or serve as a vehicle for the performances and storytelling?
Mikal Amin: The technology allows us to build a virtual visual world for each individual artist and set, that brings the music to life visually.
Andrés Poch: The very inception of this event is centered around technology. We need cameras, microphones, headphones, and computers just to be able to see and hear each other. This has shaped the set-up we have because, unlike a traditional rehearsal process, tech had to come first in order to give performers a look as to how they would be seen onstage, and for us to be able to hear and see them. Beyond the utilitarian need of the technology, we are able to embrace the look and opportunities this new medium gives us to transform the performance in ways that wouldn’t be possible to do in a theater stage. We are able to live mix graphics to create a live music video filled with visual treats that are responsive to the theme of the performance and to the delivery of the performers. When it comes to storytelling, we are fortunate to have the liberty to provide a unique look for every song and poem, even to specific verses, because we have the freedom to transport our performers and edit their look live through Isadora.
LD: How do you keep the audience's attention in a world overwhelmed with digital performances?
Mikal Amin: For Word. Sound. Power. the music and messages conveyed in the art are powerful connectors, we believe, to what we’re all experiencing. ViDCo’s collaboration to bring the audience into the world of each artist visually furthers that draw to not simply watch a “flat screen,” but feel immersed in the art they are witnessing.
Andrés Poch: We have two main ways in which we plan to keep our audience’s attention. By making Word. Sound. Power. 2021 as a live event people have to join at an exact time to be able to enjoy the performance. This allows for us to gather our community at a specific time and enjoy their energy simultaneously. Unlike other prerecorded events, you can’t pause or watch this event later, you get to join us at a specific time and are rewarded by an amazing sense of community and incredible performances. Staying on the theme of liveness, our design elements are being cued and mixed live as well, so our audience gets to see an amazing performance being created live just for them as the performer and operator play off each other. Finally, I think having such a diverse and relevant roster of performers and staff makes this event incredibly relevant in a world shifting its focus to listen and empower BIPOC voices.
LD: Can you explain the rehearsal process for this piece?
Mikal Amin: Each artist works directly with Baba Israel, the show’s director and the team at Vidco, Tori Schuman, Andrés Poche, Devin Kinch, and Shoshana Tarkow along with DJ Reborn and our stage manager Alyssa K. Howard and production manager Laura Williams to build a “look” within the software for each song/poem and transitions. It is a full collaboration with the performer, giving ideas and building the environment and visuals they’ll perform and interact in.
Andrés Poch: Rehearsal from this piece has been divided into five pieces. Our first rehearsal starts with Tori Schuchmann, our ViDCo stage and project manager, meeting with each one of the performers to set up their microphone, camera, lighting and greenscreen. This allows for us to have a focused time with each performer to walk them through a set up that is new to them. This also ensures that all tech is squared away by the time we get to our design-focused rehearsals. Our second rehearsal is when the full BAM and ViDCo team come together with the individual performers to work through each of their pieces. As the graphics and content designer, I come with a series of draft compositions to start the conversation on each piece and as we see how the performers move and deliver their piece we make adjustments and collaborate as a team to have the most engaging look. This draft set up allowed us to be really playful and collaborative with the whole team because no idea was set in stone, we were free to quickly switch elements out in Isadora to see how everyone responded until we landed on a look we all loved and worked together towards. This collaboration process was especially useful on pieces with our dancer, Jade Charon, where we would be able to duplicate her to create unique shapes to frame our performer. This has been the most unique and wonderful part of the process for me, being able to bounce ideas off of everyone in the room and riff together to get the best look. The third rehearsal is when the design team meets exclusively with (director) Baba Israel to run down all of the final versions of the designs we sketched during the previous rehearsals. Fourth we have our dress rehearsal, where performers get to see the final version of each of their looks and get to see themselves on stage thanks to the work from Devin Kinch, our programs designer. Finally we have our notes session to revise all the setups before our live performance.
LD: Do you think such events will be virtual and/or hybrid in the future?
Mikal Amin: With our new reality, we do see creating space for both live and virtual performance. The virtual world opens up BAM to a new and wider audience that can experience the amazing and adventurous artists we present.
Andrés Poch: I absolutely think we should keep producing virtual and hybrid events in the future. As you will be able to see in Word. Sound. Power. 2021, we are able to do things that are unique to the medium and allow for a completely new way of artistic exploration. This medium also allows any theater, or just any person, to have a performance space with an unlimited audience at their reach. By producing these events it is like opening another black box theater, or produce an event at a site specific location with incredible plasticity. Moreover, this medium allows for an incredibly diverse and inclusive way to produce events. We can have performers from anywhere in the world, all we need to do is send them a tech kit. We are also able to reach the homes of anyone who has access to internet, so folks who would usually not be in Brooklyn for this event, or who aren’t able to leave their homes are now able to attend an event where their viewing isn’t an afterthought, but it was designed to be viewed remotely. Finally, this medium allows for amazing leaps in accessibility. We are able to have ASL interpreters and live captioning for the performance in a way that is integrated with the design, allowing for everyone to enjoy this event.