Curtain Call is a five-person multidisciplinary graduate student team at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center working in collaboration with the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. We are designing and installing an interactive experience in the lobby of the Purnell Center for the Arts. This will complement the full run of their production of Lear (2010), an avante-garde play that explores the themes of guilt, creativity, and family through the lens of both King Lear and Sesame Street.

Our installation will immerse guests in a “storm of voices,” incorporating directional speakers and kinetic set pieces in reference to the iconic storm from Shakespeare’s King Lear. Our audio/visual landscape will enhance the thematic and emotional elements of the show while also immersing the guests in the world of Lear.

Our installation includes a series of “stations,” themed to each character with color-coding and items symbolic of the character. Each station will reveal the internal thoughts of each character, with lines designed to invoke an emotional response in the guest. With this understanding of the mindset of each character, guests will be able to step into the theater with a clear understanding of the intentions of the show.