Plays / Chronology / The Techology Project / More About the Project THE TECHNOLOGY PROJECT From live concerts to live news updates and live webcasts—all available through a dizzying array of media—the definition of “liveness” is no longer limited to the simple act of communication between a live actor and an audience. At the start of the new millennium, it seems particularly important that the theatre, a medium founded on presence, should investigate the question, “What is live performance?” In order to explore this increasingly complex territory, Actors Theatre—in partnership with the EST/Sloan Foundation Science and Technology Project and Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center—has asked some of the nation’s most innovative young writers to interface with technologies that range from the mundane to the mind-boggling. These short pieces promise to be a surprising and engaging part of our annual celebration of the art of live performance. Voice Properties (On a First Date After a Full Year of Februarys) by John Belluso Yolanda and Barney are on a blind date, and this already awkward situation is made all the more so by a very real obstacle to their communication. Barney, who has cerebral palsy, communicates through a VOCA—a device that allows him to speak through a simulated voice. But he is not the only one struggling with language. In this delicate, short play, writer John Belluso takes us on a journey through the difficulty we all have—male or female, disabled or temporarily ablebodied—to make our needs and desires known. F.E.T.C.H. by Alice Tuan In this “small installment of Virtual Hypertext Theater,” playwright Alice Tuan has crafted a wild theatrical event that includes a pole, a bucket and an endless series of possibilities. What will happen next? In this new interactive universe, you get to decide. Virtual Meditation #1 by Sarah Ruhl Can machines sense how we feel? Playwright Sarah Ruhl, in collaboration with the students and faculty at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, has harnessed the subtle energy of touch in this stunning virtual reality romance. The plays will be performed in the theatre’s public spaces on three consecutive weekends, opening March 23 and closing April 7. Admission to the technology plays is free and open to the public, but access is extremely limited, and will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis the day of performance. A complete schedule of performances will be available from the box office and online at actortheatre.org after March 3rd. In addition to works created by playwrights, for the duration of the festival our lobbies will also be home to an exhibition titled PLAY: Endeavors in Art and Media. Including work from both nationally and internationally renowned artists like David Levinthal, Jack Pierson, Stefan Banz and Martin Parr, the exhibition will also showcase the work of local artists Valerie Sullivan Fuchs and Michael McCoy, among others. Curated by Louisville’s Thomas Delisle and Russell Hulsey and produced in association with Swanson-Cralle and East Market Galleries, the show will bring together a wide variety of media, including photography, sound-based interactive pieces and video and computer-based art. — Tanya Palmer