Stay with me; Remote Rochester might take a minute to
explain. The — what should we call it? — roving, interactive, theatrical
performance is the fifth production in the “Remote X” series created by
Berlin-based team Rimini Protokoll. The team has
curated these events in Berlin, Milan, Paris, and New York, each time creating
a brand-new, site-specific performance.
The goal is to see the city in a new light. But this — pick
one: performance, event, journey — goes further. Remote
Rochester will make you think about how you interact with your literal surroundings;
why we should observe strangers; and what it means to be part of a group. The
broad synopsis of Remote Rochester might make you think you’ll see new parts of
the city, but there really isn’t much in the way of new information. Rather,
Remote Rochester wants to take you on a playful path with a semi-narrative.
Wearing headphones and a transmitter, you are guided along a
path around parts of the city by the smooth, synthetic voice of “Heather.”
Participants are part of a 50-person “horde” that is prompted to interact with
one another and become somewhat familiar — it was actually entertaining to silently
learn the personalities of certain “horde” members simply through their body language:
who was a leader; who wanted to be outgoing; who liked to stay toward the back
and simply observe.
Along the path, “Heather” will prompt the group to perform
certain tasks, such as picking a gravestone to meditate at; dance and groove;
or simply watch traffic drive by. A lot of the tasks are meant to prompt the
participant to think about how they, an individual, fit into the larger scheme
of things, and about the balance between nature and artificiality.
I don’t want to spoil anything — the surprises of the trip
are well-timed and a lot of fun — but there is somewhat of a loose pseudo-plot
that happens throughout … and you are one of the actors. Ever wish you could
have your own soundtrack to the day? Using atmospheric music, sound effects,
and urban noises, Remote Rochester really captures an all-encompassing
cinematic quality.
It must have taken extraordinary planning to make Remote
Rochester: public transportation is incorporated; small details are capitalized
on; and the prompts make you think outside of the box.
Really, Remote Rochester is the definition of “fringe.”
Remote Rochester starts at the Speigelgarden,
where a bus will take you and your “horde” to Mt. Hope Cemetery to begin the
performance. Multiple performances will take place each day of the Fringe. For
times, visit rochesterfringe.com. $28. Appropriate for ages 13 and up.
This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2015.
