The Writing Experiment by Hazel Smith

but must be exercised with consciousness of its place in the total aural

situation. Performers must be both inventive & sensitive at all times.

‘Listen’ & ‘Relate’ are the most important ‘rules’.

All parameters not specified above, including octave placement,

simultaneous &/or successive grouping, repetition, duration, rhythm,

loudness, tempo, timbre, attack, &c., are at the discretion of the

performer & are to be chosen spontaneously during a performance.

A performance may be ended at any time within the limits set by

the performance situation. A total duration may be set beforehand

or arrived at spontaneously. A group may appoint a leader to signal

the beginning, keep track of elapsed time with a watch, & signal the

end of the performance.

Score and instructions copyright 1978, 1983, and 1996 by Jackson

Mac Low. All rights reserved. Actual size of score: 8^1 ⁄ 2 in. x 11 in.

New York, 11/12/77–5/30/78

THE AUDIENCE AUDITIONS

Some pieces may involve an element of audience participation. It is quite
common to attend theatrical events where performers address comments
to specific members of the audience, or ask them to perform a simple task.
In some cases members of the audience are incorporated into the per-
formance to such a degree that the boundary between performer and
audience becomes blurred.
It is sometimes fun to try this kind of piece in the classroom. You may
ask the ‘audience’ (your classmates) to suggest words which are integrated
into your performance, or give them tasks to do. In doing so you make
them ‘talk back’ to you as writer. This has political ramifications because
you are empowering, even democratising, the role of the audience. Note,
however, that when it comes to public performance such participation
may be irksome, even confrontational, for some members of the audience,
particularly if they are shy. Some theatre companies such as The Sydney
Front have used such forms of intimidation to explore power relation-
ships, particularly fear of authority, but such experiments need to be
approached with skill. So be sure that you consider the type of audience
you are dealing with and your purposes: you may wish to avoid compul-
sory interaction.
For Exercise 4b devise a piece which requires audience participation.
Even if you don’t encourage audience members to participate directly in
the piece, you may be able to affect their interaction with it. For example,
you might change your spatial relationship with the audience by standing

230 The Writing Experiment