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Who Wants To Be…?

Posted Monday 16th November 2009by Editor

Democratic theatre experience explores ‘wisdom of the crowds’

Wunderbar Festival hosts a daring democratic arts commission later this month, giving the audience a collective choice on how to spend television game-show style prize money in a bid to explore the concept of the ‘wisdom of the crowds’. Who wants to be allows audience spectators to decide the questions, answers and determine what to do with the box office takings.

Inspired by the ask the audience feature on the popular TV game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Who Wants To Be hands democracy to the people. As a unique arts commission, participants must collectively decide how to spend the evening’s box office takings. Who Wants to Be was born when The People Speak organisation realised that if the audience could set the questions, as well as giving the answers, and making up the rules – they’d have a recipe for social change.

In asking the audience to set the questions, provide the answers and decide what the rules are, Who Wants To Be gives people an insight into the possibilities of their collective imagination. Previous audiences have decided to collectively purchase and own a woodland In Wales. Another voted to commission a “democracy bench” for a London park, narrowly beating the idea to make a Guinness world record attempt to bake the world’s biggest crumpet. What the audience spend in Newcastle’s commission decide to spend their money is completely open and will be decided on the night.

Audiences pay £10 each, and gather in a venue to discuss how they’d like to spend the collectively raised pot of money. Using an ‘Ask the Audience’ computer vision voting system The People Speak have designed for use, participants in Who Wants to Be can really shape the agenda – proposing ideas, discussing them and then voting on any aspect of the game.

The People Speak Director, Mikey Weinkove commented: “It’s hugely exciting to bring this commission to the North East. The people of this region are renowned for their strong views and forthright opinions – I’m sure this Who Wants To Be will spawn some imaginative new ideas!”

“Who knows, they might choose to invest their money in a new name for St James’ Park – what about stadium of light and dark? Or maybe renaming something else they don’t like the name of? Who knows?!”

Director of Wunderbar Festival, Ilana Mitchell said: “This commission is a truly fascinating exploration of the wisdom of the crowds. In the age of the internet the power of the public to voice their opinion has never been stronger and this commission really embodies the mood of the moment in November 2009.”

Who Wants To Be is taking place on the 13th November at

The CLUNY Theatre, Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 2PQ
Tickets for Who Wants To Be can be acquired from the Wunderbar Festival Box Office which is held at;
Dance City, Temple Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 4BR
TEL: 0191 261 0505
For more info on Who Wants To Be at Wunderbar Festival please visit: www.wunderbarfestival.co.uk/programme/events/who-wants-to-be

Other festival highlights include:

Performances by Internationally acclaimed artist Alistair Mclennan

Internationally acclaimed performance artist Alistair McLennan will produce one of his infamous pieces for the Festival. McLennan’s work over the past 30+ years has been at the forefront of the international performance scene. A new commission in collaboration with Locus+, who are renowned for creating hugely innovative temporary exhibitions and installations in non-gallery locations.

Dinner with America

A year on from Obama’s election, this works looks at our perceptions of ‘America,’ via historical recordings and sound bites alongside Shah’s own highly arresting visual and performative interpretation.

Haircuts by Children

Would you let a nine-year-old loose on your hair? Trained to greet, style, chat, cut and colour just as a hairdresser would, a group of children will be offering their hairdressing services to the public during the festival!

From Here on Out

How does this city work? Where does all of this stuff come from? Explore the props, pulleys and power that underlie urban life in From Here on Out , a city walk with a difference. A 45-minute video and sound walk gives you a kind of x-ray vision of the city, layering the cityscape with images of the otherwise invisible processes that drive it. You are invited to experience a city where the back lane is a dairy farm, the shopping centre is a colliery, and there’s a power station on your street corner. Experience the unseen and unspoken substructures of the city brought to life in the centre of Newcastle.

Listening to Leonids

Between the 10th and 20th of November 2009, Earth will pass through a stream of meteors, the Leonids – a prolific meteor shower known as “the King of Meteor Showers” – producing not only a spectacular light show in the night sky, but also the opportunity to hear their progress across the upper atmosphere.

Astronomers have noticed a unique phenomenon relating to meteors, as under certain circumstances, observers seem able to hear meteors as they see them. Technically this should be impossible, as, traveling at the speed of sound, these noises should take around 5 minutes to arrive on earth. However, a phenomenon has been discovered suggesting that certain everyday household objects responding to electromagnetic radiation given off by the meteor can act as makeshift radio receivers. These objects can be as varied as aluminum foil, wire-frame glasses, thin wires, pine needles, old aerials, and even dry or frizzy hair!

To test out this theory, Ed Carter will be spending time in preparatory research at Kielder Observatory during the festival and will be sharing his findings in an online diary you can follow on this page. As part of the Wunderbar Grand Chaser on Sunday 15th, Ed will present his research findings and show you how you too can ‘Listen to Leonids’.

The peak time for hearing and seeing the Leonids is on 17th and 18th November, so make sure you’re prepared to be part of this celestial spectacle.

Watch Me Fall – Action Hero

I’m going over in a barrel. I’m leaving the cannon, hitting the ramp at 90mph and clearing ten double decker buses. I might fall. I might break my body into several pieces, but then I’ll pick myself up, dust myself off and do it all over again. This time, I’m going higher, further and faster. Tonight, I will attempt the impossible.

Action Hero have measured it out, done a few calculations and they’re confident … it could go either way. Come along and cheer for us, pull for us, pray for us and watch us fall.

Watch Me Fall is for the daredevils. It’s our obsession with those who attempt the impossible, the futility of their attempts and their inevitable fall from grace. Set on a DIY runway with a standing audience, Action Hero push the limit in the name of entertainment.