Live Theatrical Performance and Live DJ Performances, are they morphing into one?

I don't normally blog during the week, but something yesterday caught my eye which has really inspired me and I thought I should really share it with everyone!. As the title suggests its about live theatrical performance and live Djing performances. It has all come from an article in this month's Mixmag magazine, Mixmag is a monthly dance music magazine covering gigs, events, DJ interviews and clubland news as well as the new releases. On page 47 (sorry to be specific and not come across really anal, I have the page open, I don't know the page numbers off by heart!). The article is called 'The Most Amazing shows in dance music', and features interviews with 2ManyDJ's, Fatboy Slim, DeadMau5, Magnetic Man and Tiesto. What really caught my eye was during the interviews, the similarities between theatrical productions and these performances which were being described.

DJ gigs no longer seem, just one off events they are imagined, created, rehearsed and then toured with lighting equipment, designers and directors across the globe, here is just a taster of some of the responses in the article:

2ManyDJ's, who project animated record sleeves in their shows "We sit down with a graphic designer friend and the three of us make a storyboard based around the record sleeves, then we have a guy who animates them. (How many people work on the show?) - Two to build the screen, two to do the DJ booth, bassist to transfer the DVDS, tour manager, van driver".

Tiesto, on keeping the show fresh and many people who on his shows "Thanks to technology. Also the beauty of being a DJ, is you can always change your sound, change your sound, change your style and the tracks you play, whereas in a band its always the same numbers... A production manager, my personal assistant, my light guy and my sound guy."

A full company for essentially someone playing music? (I don't mean to be rude, I'm just illustrating how much developments there has been!!) These developments in DJing of course are not entirely a new leap forward but just an extension in the concept of creating a show. Going clubbing is an exercise in going out from your day to day life and enjoying the experience. Of course Technology is central to this recent explosion of live shows. The shift from vinyl to CDJ's is obvious in every club and bar across the country, but now we are seeing the latest developments in computing being transferred into live performance for DJ's. The developments of Serato Live (a vinyl simulation programme which allows the user to use vinyl turntables and scratch, and play vinyl but stores all their music digitally on a laptop) and other programmes like Ableton, and other products like Recordbox software. DJs are always looking to push their shows and performances to the next level, utilising anything and everything at their disposal from having 2 copies of vinyl to scratch over, transforming scratching records, beat looping, playing the latest remix, putting their music on laptops, running three decks. Innovation and creativity are essential components. It is very frustrating when you look at live music, film and other creative industries and see how technology is not only artistically meet new challenges for artists but developing new audiences as well and you look to see how Theatre is responding accordingly to technology.

It seems like technology is a dirty word for Theatre, it seems like the newest brand of Theatre makers are not given the space to be innovative with technology and see what it can do for the theatre space. As Benga from Magnetic Man points out improvising with technology in the performance space can bring about some great results:

"Its live, Its Nuts!. Not one show is the same, we can't make it the same because its not like we rehearse it. We like the spontaneity"

Being spontaneous is what Theatre is all about, so why is innovation and being able to try new things not encouraged, surely with arts cuts the hottest topic at the moment, new rules are being created, new methods for work are being assembled.
Now I cannot talk about any experience of DJing because I have none, however I have always loved watching, listening to and seeing DJ's perform live. I take huge inspirations from DJ's such as DJ Jazzy Jeff, Grandmaster Flash, Pete Tong, Greg Wilson, Fabio & Grooverider, particularly for their innovation in their market place, and their creativity and ability to adapt, reflect and consumer new trends. These DJ's know their genres for which they are know for. They are the taste makers, the people who know what works, know the right contacts etc.

Now this is the bit I am really worried about sounding up myself and I don't really mean to be. As a developing artist I see how I am working is very similar to that of a DJ.

I like to create a performance (whether that is an exhibition, theatrical performance, installation etc), like that of a DJ, creating a performance for an audience. The relationship is 2 way, my role is that is knowing my sector inside out, knowing the history and being passionate about the sector and know why it is important to have these sorts of things. I am devising a show which involves the audience. Like a DJ show, everyone takes something away from it, whether its an interest in a style of video, an interest in the decade we have made a show about. Like a DJ performance one person can take away a like in the new dubstep track or is an aspiring DJ and loved how the DJ scratched a track.

To finish simply, why is Technology overlooked in the Theatre, when in Music technology has taken DJing to a new level and attracted new audiences and developed amazing new creative potentials.

I don't know the answer to this. I want to change it, Theatre and Technology can produce new audiences and new artistic opportunities.