ABSTRACT

Upon entering a small converted storefront theatre for Sea of Forms, Omaha Magic Theatre (OMT) audiences encountered a sea of white styrofoam, nearly a foot high in many places. For the 1986 premiere and in subsequent runs (1987, 1989) of this experimental multimedia performance, popcorn and shell bits covered the floor, extending from wall to wall; styrofoam animal sculptures hung from the ceiling; large and small blocks of styrofoam created walls, shelves, and touchable icons. The physical world of the theatre was “totally transformed by the styrofoam sculptural installation” (Terry and Schmidman 1986–87–89). Because audience seating clusters (mats, swivel seats) were positioned throughout the space, everyone walked through that styrofoam, smelled it, touched it before, during and after “the play.”