Open Forum

I was wondering how people handled plays where the audience gets to choose the ending (when the choice making isn't specifically written into the script)? I am producing Jack the Ripper: Monster of Whitechapel this fall and it has 3 possible endings. There is no specific method for choosing the endings. I want my audience to be able to choose so that even the actors will not know who is "Jack" until about 5 minutes before the reveal scene. Has anyone else done this? What worked (or didn't)?

-------------------------------------------
Shira Schwartz
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler AZ
-------------------------------------------

I have seen a couple of different methods.  The one that worked best was that the audience all had slips of paper and then voted either at intermission or at a scheduled time near the end of the show.  To give time for a quick vote, there was some sort of interchange set up, like talking about upcoming events or doing some sort of itemed auction.  The actors were ready for any outcome depending on the vote.

Another possible option was to randomly pick the ending based on intermission votes.  I could imagine it being done by an on the spot audience poll and the loudest applause became the outcome.

Hope you find what works best for you.

-------------------------------------------
Alan Strait
Teacher
CCSD
Henderson NV
-------------------------------------------






Original Message:
Sent: 06-16-2014 18:49
From: Shira Schwartz
Subject: Audience choice?

I was wondering how people handled plays where the audience gets to choose the ending (when the choice making isn't specifically written into the script)? I am producing Jack the Ripper: Monster of Whitechapel this fall and it has 3 possible endings. There is no specific method for choosing the endings. I want my audience to be able to choose so that even the actors will not know who is "Jack" until about 5 minutes before the reveal scene. Has anyone else done this? What worked (or didn't)?

-------------------------------------------
Shira Schwartz
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler AZ
-------------------------------------------

In SHEAR MADNESS, the detective brings a potential murderer out and has the audience clap for each person.  Whoever gets the loudest applause will be the murderer and the actors immediately follow the script that provides for that person being guilty.  Except, the audience doesn't know their clapping is what is the choice, the audience believes the detective is just getting a poll to see their opinion. This also allows the guilty actor to only be revealed in the last 5 minutes and you do not have to count votes or anything complicated.  

-------------------------------------------
Nathan Shewell
Theatre Arts Director
Indianapolis IN
-------------------------------------------






Original Message:
Sent: 06-16-2014 22:41
From: Alan Strait
Subject: Audience choice?

I have seen a couple of different methods.  The one that worked best was that the audience all had slips of paper and then voted either at intermission or at a scheduled time near the end of the show.  To give time for a quick vote, there was some sort of interchange set up, like talking about upcoming events or doing some sort of itemed auction.  The actors were ready for any outcome depending on the vote.

Another possible option was to randomly pick the ending based on intermission votes.  I could imagine it being done by an on the spot audience poll and the loudest applause became the outcome.

Hope you find what works best for you.

-------------------------------------------
Alan Strait
Teacher
CCSD
Henderson NV
-------------------------------------------






Original Message:
Sent: 06-16-2014 18:49
From: Shira Schwartz
Subject: Audience choice?

I was wondering how people handled plays where the audience gets to choose the ending (when the choice making isn't specifically written into the script)? I am producing Jack the Ripper: Monster of Whitechapel this fall and it has 3 possible endings. There is no specific method for choosing the endings. I want my audience to be able to choose so that even the actors will not know who is "Jack" until about 5 minutes before the reveal scene. Has anyone else done this? What worked (or didn't)?

-------------------------------------------
Shira Schwartz
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler AZ
-------------------------------------------