Stories Incarnate: designing embodied, interactive storytelling experiences for live audiences

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Providing embodied, interactive experiences for live audiences in traditional performance venues remains an ongoing challenge in the live entertainment industry. This paper presents a proof-of-concept performance piece which engages a seated audience in an embodied, interactive storytelling experience during a live circus show. We used a research-through-design methodology, with the goal of creating a piece in which the audience’s actions and the way they collaborate determine the outcome of the performance. We describe our design process and informal evaluation of the piece. We conclude with considerations for designing embodied, interactive storytelling experiences for live audience that provide a sense of agency and communion, as well as reflections on research through design for live performance.