Project Suspiriorum

As an artist, I seek to answer the question: how do I create an effective and thought-provoking performance in front of a live audience? As an avid horror movie lover, I began to notice that one of the strongest and most effective emotions to harness in an audience is fear. Fear makes us think. Fear makes us react. Greek philosopher Aristotle introduced us to the idea of catharsis, the process in which we release negative emotions by viewing dramatic art. Experiencing the sensation of fear is cathartic for a wide range of audience members, many of whom seek out the experience of feeling fear. Through the genre of horror, audience members gain a sense of catharsis, which can be used to fuel the exploration of complex ideas. But how do we evoke this fear in a live audience? There is truly something unique about the techniques used in film to evoke fear in an audience; techniques which are just not possible to replicate on stage. But, that being said, I believe that live horror heightens the sensation of catharsis in ways that movies can’t do.