GEORGE TOWN – Zoom has been the go-to platform for board room meetings, classes, job interviews, and events during this pandemic, but have you ever hard of detective work being done via this cloud-based video communication platform?
BODY X The Culprit is a unique digital theatre production where the audience becomes fellow performers, taking part in solving a murder mystery, almost as if they are at the crime scene. Produced in Singapore, this first-ever interactive-immersive digital theatre on Zoom was hosted by George Town Festival 2021.
According to producer and director, Danny Yeo, BODY X The Culprit is the third instalment by BODY X Productions, inspired by Japanese murder mysteries. The series started with BODY X The Wedding at the Singapore Writers Festival 2014, and in 2016, they stated BODY X The Rehearsal.
“Before this new format of presentation, we performed in an actual space, both times in a colonial house, and the audience will walk right up to the actors, looking at letters being written, pieces of evidence held in the actors' hands over their shoulders.
“We were the pioneer in immersive theatre in Singapore.
“But with the pandemic, we had to do a very challenging shift,” he said.
BODY X The Culprit was created when Covid-19 first began to rage, from March to September 2020. Because the format of the show had to change, it took the team of 11, six months to construct, create and present it online.
Yeo admitted that he experienced self-doubt, pondering the value of an artist as there is no stage or venue that audiences can go to watch a show and hence, there is nothing an artist can offer.
“However, I do feel that because we are creative, therefore we are always able to find an outlet to live out our dreams and also to realise our aspirations,” he said.
As a result, his team had to hone technical skills, wearing through a challenging production process.
“Because its a digital presentation, we had to double and triple up on different roles.
“We had to learn how to technically produce it and how to do it under a lot of strict regulations that Singapore adopted at that point in time. For example, we couldn’t find a place to rehearse, we didn’t know how to access Zoom, we didn’t know how to work the cameras, and it just threw us off.
“A lot of us who were quite exasperated and we did it with very little resources. So it comes as a really pleasant surprise, but also a great gift for us that this production has been presented to close to 5,000 audiences already.”
The show is set in a coffee shop during the Asian economic crisis of the mid-1980s, where an old patron was found dead early in the morning. All who were in contact with him the previous night claimed they were not at the crime scene, but all had disagreements with the victim before.
A scene from the night before is enacted and the audience can deduce who the murderer is by catching clues during the play. The audience are then given 20 minutes to discuss in the chatbox, putting out their reasons or questions on who could be the culprit.
Everyone then has the opportunity to take a poll on who they think the murderer is. The reveal is then sent to the audience’s email one week after the show. Until then, viewers would still be involved in the show, making new decisions on who the murderer is from what they can remember.
“There was a reviewer who said that finding out who the murderer is not the most important, it’s the chase.
“The entire journey from the pre-show, the show itself and the post-show actually make up the entire theatre experience.
“After a lot of theatre shows, sometimes we will have post-show dialogues. But post-show dialogue is also conducted in a question and answer manner.
“I always wish, what if the audience were motivated and mobilised to contribute more? I think this is where this chat idea came about. The chat discussion in the chatbox is an extension of the show where many become involved and invested in trying to find out who it is,” he said.
With these new skills, Yeo and his team are developing their next story.
“We will still explore this digital format however, we would also like to see if a hybrid model can be achieved.
“Nobody else has done something as immersive and as interactive a murder mystery on zoom or a show platform like we did. A lot of artists in our region were surprised to learn that there is this new exciting form of theatre that they’ve never seen before, where they can feel so involved and invested in.
“We are very encouraged by it,” he added.
George Town Festival is an annual cultural festival held in Penang. It was held from July 10 to 18 this year. Due to the pandemic, all the physical programs have been postponed until further notice. However, online shows like BODY X The Culprit allow for the audience to be involved, albeit not physically. – The Vibes, July 22, 2021
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