13. Factoring in Chaos

(two paragraphs)


SLAYTON: I used the DoWhatDo theory again in my most recent performance, the centennial celebration of the city of Palo Alto, California.

CL: That didn't work did it?
SLAYTON: It worked fine! A real disaster -- but that's what it was supposed to be. The show was about a technical disaster in Palo Alto because of their enthusiasm for technology. It did exactly what it was supposed to do. It was built to have intentional moments of failure so that there would be chaos, so that there would be a reason for the final act of the show. And it was staged in such a way that the audience couldn't discern between what was real and what was fictional -- they didn't know what was scripted and what was spontaneous! I think one of the best things that happened in the Palo Alto show was that perception of disaster. I mean, it was one of the top ten news stories of Palo Alto last year. They had said that they wanted experimental, they wanted to be challenged, and to look at the next 100 years and see what it meant. They're just now understanding that they took a risk -- and that taking that risk was a good thing.