Treyana Lema Gubatan

Real Utopias?

"Real Utopias?" is a speculative research project that explores the potential of theatre and performance as a medium for advertising.

“What makes people want to watch? In a world where content, media, and advertising are constantly being thrown at us, how do we not only arrest the audience's attention, but sustain it? "Real Utopias?" is a project that examines the frameworks of entertainment media—namely, theatre and performance—and re-contextualizes them for an advertising setting.What I found was that current advertising mediums are not sustainable; popular channels such as radio and television are dying out as people turn to streaming services. On the other hand, theatre continues to be relevant because of the first-hand, live experience aspect and the exclusivity of each show. I concluded that, by creating a unique individual experience through interactive theatre, advertising can become a form of media that viewers will want to watch.Through interactive performance, I presented "Real Utopias?" to my class as proof of this concept. I started by arranging the seating, asking everyone to sit in the middle of the room; then, I handed out scripts and had everyone read lines and react throughout the presentation. By giving the audience a controlled role, I was able to keep them engaged through the entire 12-minute presentation. ”