Site Responsive Theatre

What is Site Responsive Theatre?

Site Responsive Theatre is when a performance is created by using a certain site as stimulus and responding to it. This type of theatre is one step on from Site Generic theatre as it is making a conscious decision to be seen in dialogue with its site, performances are created through a process of response to a particular site and then the performances can be moved to similar sites. This therefore shows a step forward from Site Generic as it can only be moved to certain sites to allow the pieces structure and purpose to continue rather than any site.  An example of a site responsive piece of theatre is Steven Koplowitz's "Grand Staircase”, consisting of a 15 minute dance performance followed by a 15 minute performance from a choir/musical ensemble upon a grand staircase “The Grand Step Project was conceived as a site-adaptive work to be performed on grand staircases, all over the world”.

(http://www.koplowitzprojects.com/projects/grand%20steps/gs_desciption.html)

This is a site responsive performance as it has been created for outside of the traditional theatre in response to certain site but can still be moved around. This piece uses a specific type of site (a grand staircase) but it is not specific to just one staircase, allowing the piece to be moveable to similar sites.

Stephan Koplowitz-The Grand Step Project-Dancing in the Streets-2004