>> previously in his career he had decided that in a sense, theatre was corrupt - people were getting involved for the wrong reasons, to illustrate dramatic texts, stage spectactles that competed with film and newer technology, and to become idolized or famous. They no longer could make due with abstractions - they imbued theatre with personal investment (like the players of wargames). As a result of this, he systematically began to eliminate extraneous aspects of the theatre which he felt were being abused - lighting, scripts, text, etc. And began experimenting with different architectural organizations of the relationship between the audience and the spectator - what made paratheatre so different, is the annihilation of this barrier altogether - no longer were there spectators and performers in these works - there were no physical representations or barriers of abstraction

//but they have no dice - (and no rulebook is on the table) upon listening one may think they are enacting a vocal, verbal, work of paratheatre, or a simulation of it

They are also overcoming obstacles, the violent action that Marshall McLuhan refers to as a necessary action for identifying oneself.


a search for identity through representation

To publish a game is to codify it's existence and to create a rulebook; a script.


Identity is an enterprise unlinked to ego in the vernacular sense; knowing oneself allows the giving of oneself to others. Often we call egotists such, not because they are involved in their self, but rather in the aforementioned external signifiers of their being that they have embedded in their mind and others, either conscientiously or by circumstance. 

[Their quest is the act of doing it; and remembering what it means to do it, so that when they stand, they know the difference.]

the acts of control or randomization must come from one of the sitter’s own pools of information - not a die - die are external devices - even though you may know all the numbers on a die  or the die is the same number as the third number in the year of your birthday - it’s different to start from the birthday -  numbers have meaning when they begin with memory - and these connections are important

but in fact their quest is very real, and the structure is so cool, it almost isn’t there at all - the structure they work with is they structure of themselves - the goal in fact is t reveal or discover a structure which might have been hidden from them

At a distance it looks as if they are playing Dungeons & Dragons, a role-playing game, where players embark on imaginary quests, fighting demons etc. The modern role-playing game evolved from wargames, ornate - turn-based variants of chess with a higher emphasis on representation. There was a need here. The difference between a wargame and dungeons and dragons is not in the rules, but in the roles. The role of the player in a wargame is not a role at all. He isn’t in control of his own being. Any other play might as well come along and make a strategic decision for him. It does not matter that it is him  who makes the decision, what matters is that the best decision is made.
Role-playing games give players a role, quite simply, nobody else can make decisions for them. It doesn’t matter if they make good of bad decisions, the livelyhood of the game depends solely on the fact that it is THEM who is making them. They aren’t making decisions here for THEMSELVES< but are actualy making decisions for a fictional character they are in control of: an Avatar. It is possible that two players may switch characters, but very rare, as characters are considered representations or “outfits” which “fit” only their human counterpart. Familiars. A character may hold different world views or attitudes than their player, but often these are simply attitudes that the player holds themself, althoough never externalizes.
Our sitters game, isn’t a role-playing game, but a role-making game. Their goal is not to or act out a fantasy, but to fantasize on their actions(?). [fantasize actually] - The next logical evolution of Dungeons and Dragons is not to play role, but to be role. Dungeons and Dragons still has a rulebook, - something our sitters do not.

70s blackholes, videogames, innerspaces, GUI, recursive space, reflexive space
its no surprise that drugs like lsd were popular - inner tripping was all the rage

DND was created in 197? and it is int he same years that Grotowski opens the laboratory theatre


There are no dice - the skill here is in being yourself, not in relying on a system to be yourself for you - you need to be yourself being yourself
[the inner-trip]


The sitters are similar performers, but they have no audience other