Adventures in Theatre Design Interactive Game

Audience: Undergraduate students in theatre design courses

Instructional Problem: Learners don’t connect the steps of the theatre design process with the decision making involved in navigating the steps. This game leads them through a simulation of the Design Process to integrate cognitive understanding of the steps with affective attitudes and critical thinking.

This game used branching scenarios to lead students through a hypothetical theatre design process. The game incorporates some choices that have unequal options and some neutral options. After completing the process to an approved design, the Wheel of Chaos introduces real-world problems into the simulation.

Impact: The game was designed to be fun and motivating while providing a lens inside the design process. Students who played this game noted nuanced new realizations about the need for incubation time, the utility of research, the non-linear nature of the process, and communication with collaborators.