Hunting for pearls in the shallow water: designing and building spatial immateriality in the aquatic theatre La Perle

Abstract

This essay discusses the working process behind Franco Dragone’s aquatic theatre La Perle (2017) in Dubai. The aim of the case study is to provide unique insight into the development and implementation of an innovative architecture typology of a theatre building conceived as a ‘living thing’, a spatial system able to adapt and change according to the demands of dramaturgy. Remembering imaginative, but never built, proposals for theatre buildings from the beginning of the twentieth century, and their objectives regarding more flexibility of a performance space, the study explains what it takes to actually realise a ‘fluid’ spatial system. At the same time, it is an attempt to broaden the understanding of scenography by discussing it in relation to its materiality, technical requirements, and the virtual content employed in the La Perle show. Using the lens of posthumanism, the analysis includes discussion on the culture/nature divide in the realm of contemporary spectacle, concentrating on Karen Barad’s notion of non-human matter and its role within an aquatic theatre, adaptable and ever-changing. It explains an approach to treating space as a scenographic body, and the contribution of architectural design proceedings to the conception and production of new kinds of theatres.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Franco Dragone and his team, especially Nicolas Ney (executive production associate at Dragone), as well as Al Habtoor Group, for permission to use production images of the La Perle show. My sincere gratitude goes to Gabrielle Chuyu Tan (former artistic assistant to Franco Dragone), Marie Tirtiaux (marketing and communication), and Hannah Shanks (PR and events manager) for making my visit to La Perle Theatre possible, and Stuart Bertoluzzi (technical director of La Perle) for the backstage tour of the theatre and interview. I would also like to thank both Steven Friedlander and Brad Kisicki from Apeiro Design for an interview. My special thanks go to the director of theatre development Jean Marcouiller (La Perle’s executive production manager).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, The Will to Power, trans. by W. A. Kaufmann and R. J. Hollingdale (New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1967), p. 27, first publ. in 1901.

2 Franco Dragone is one of the most influential artistic directors in the field of contemporary spectacle. After being creative director for Cirque du Soleil shows in the 1980s and 1990s, contributing largely to its worldwide success, he established his own creative hub in La Louvière, Belgium, and directed an array of large-scale aquatic spectacles, e.g. La Rêve (Las Vegas), The House of Dancing Water (Macao), and The Han Show (Wuhan), among others <https://dragone.com/discoverdragone/our-history/> [accessed 6 November 2023]. For trailer, show description, technical details and credits, see <https://dragone.com/en/shows/la-perle/>; online recording La Perle <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTrSyFtovPI&feature=youtu.be> [accessed 15 October 2023]. This essay is my fifth publication on the topic of aquatic theatres in English language. Architecture and stage kinetics of aquatic theatres in China are discussed in Nebojša Tabački, ‘Making a Splash: Architectural Drama in Chinese Aquatic Theatres’, Theatre Arts Journal 4.1 (2017), 71–98. Regarding underwater perception in the aquatic show Le Rêve (Wynn Las Vegas), see Nebojša Tabački, ‘Diving into the Abyss: Scenography for Contemporary Aquatic Theatres’, Theatre and Performance Design Journal, 1.1/2 (2015), 64–78. Concerning water as a scenographic device, see Nebojša Tabački, ‘The Matter of Water: Bodily Experience of Scenography in Contemporary Spectacle’, in Scenography Expanded: An Introduction to Contemporary Performance Design, ed. by Joslin McKinney and Scott Palmer (London: Bloomsbury, 2017), pp. 169–82. The use of water as projection screen is analysed in Nebojša Tabački, ‘Make Me Feel: Sensing Technology in Contemporary Scenography’, Theatre and Performance Design Journal, 3.3/4 (2017), 119–39. Publication on the subject is also available in German language, see Nebojša Tabački, Kinetische Bühnen: Sean Kenny und Josef Svoboda – Szenografen als Wiedererfinder des Theaters (Bielefeld: Transcript, 2014), pp. 195–200.

3 Joslin McKinney and Scott Palmer, Scenography Expanded: An Introduction to Contemporary Performance Design (London and New York, NY: Bloomsbury, Methuen Drama, 2017), pp. 1–19.

4 See Iris van der Turin, ‘Neo / New Materialism’, in Posthuman Glossary, ed. by Rosi Braidotti and Maria Hlavajova (London: Bloomsbury, 2018), p. 277; and Branko Mitrović, Visuality for Architects: Architectural Creativity and Modern Theories of Perception and Imagination (London: University of Virginia Press, 2013), pp. 22–3.

5 Tabački, ‘Diving into the Abyss’, pp. 64–6.

6 Ibid., pp. 69–71.

7 Tabački, ‘The Matter of Water’, pp. 170–1.

8 In his famous article ‘The Actor and the Über-Marionette’, Edward Gordon Craig discusses whether acting can be considered an art form or not, arguing against impersonation on the theatrical stage. He suggested the exchange of actors with ‘a superior doll’, the über-marionette, which will ‘embody the spirit of Motion’. Attached to the wires of safety harnesses and suspended from the ceiling, the performers in La Perle are reminiscent of Craig’s idea of an actor as marionette. See Edward Gordon Craig, ‘Actor and the Über-Marionette’, Mask, 1.2 (1908), 11–2.

9 Joanna Andrews, ‘Meet Franco Dragone’, Al Shindagah Magazine, 137 (2017) <https://www.alshindagah.com/en/article/en-us/13/13/95/24/1781/meet-franco-dragone> [accessed 15 November 2020].

10 This refers to Jane Bennett’s reading of Henri Bergson’s ‘philosophy of becoming as “creative evolution”’ in regard to vital force within the biological organism, described as ‘a free and undetermined agency’; see Jane Bennett, Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things (London: Duke University Press, 2010), pp. 81, 83.

11 The tickets for the show La Perle span from €82 for ‘bronze seats’ to €239 in the VIP lounge <https://www.laperle.com/en> [accessed 4 November 2023].

12 Hamad Marwa, ‘Putting Music to La Perle, Dubai’s New Spectacle’, Gulf News, 27 August 2017 <https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/theatre/putting-music-to-la-perle-dubais-new-spectacle-1.2080825> [accessed 17 November 2020].

13 Marvin Carlson, Places of Performance: The Semiotics of Theatre Architecture (Ithaca, NY, and London: Cornell University Press, 1989), p. 47.

14 Tabački, Kinetische Bühnen, pp. 67–79.

15 Kas Oosterhuis, Hyperbodies: Towards an E-motive Architecture (Basel: Birkenhäuser, 2003).

16 Tabački, ‘Diving into the Abyss’, pp. 66, 69.

17 Tabački, ‘The Matter of Water’, pp. 172–3.

18 Sharon Stancavage, ‘Dragone’s La Perle’, Light and Sound International, 42 (December 2017) <http://www.theatrecrafts.com/archive/documents/lsi_dec2017_laperle.pdf> [accessed 22 October 2020].

19 Oversized marionette echoes Edward Gordon Craig’s ‘figure of the Divine Puppet’. The über-marionette, as a substitute for an actor on the stage, was supposed to enable spectators in the theatre to ‘return to their ancient joy in ceremonies’; see Craig, ‘Actor and the Über-Marionette’, pp. 14–5.

20 Ibid., p. 12.

21 As explained by Jean Marcouiller, the aim was not to spend all the money at the original bidding. All departments kept 10–15% of the budget until the opening of the show. This approach secures funds for additional costs that could occur during the show’s run, enabling creative flexibility and implementation of changes.

22 This is software that registers the intersection of components of different contractors involved in the project, a ‘lack of buffer space around equipment’, as well as ‘conflict between workflow and equipment scheduling’; see hitech, ‘3 Types of 3D BIM Clash Detection and their Importance’, 9 October 2014 (updated 28 August 2023) <https://www.hitechcaddservices.com/news/3-types-of-3d-clash-detection-have-their-own-importance/> [accessed 17 May 2020].

23 Stancavage, ‘Dragone’s La Perle’, p. 41.

24 The article in Light and Sound International (LSI) gives detailed descriptions of the supporting technology for video projections: ‘The system used to run the show includes two Photon controllers (one main and one back-up) and 11 Photon display servers (nine main and two back-ups, each with four HD outputs). One of the display servers is used for user interface and three are for the projectors. There are also two VYV Albion systems (another main plus back-up) to manage the tracking, the real-time calibration and the volumetric calibration. The Barco HDF-W26 projectors are all on the Albion system, which — in combination with the Zap yokes, 40 Albion cameras and VYV’s Copernic infrared emitters — enable the projection system to do real-time tracking’. See Stancavage, ‘Dragone’s La Perle’, pp. 44–5.

25 Ibid.

26 Ibid.

27 Ibid.

28 In The Han Show, 16 projectors are used during the show.

29 Head of lighting and video, Anton Montaut, explains: ‘We’re using the Zap Technology yoke, specifically the VIP Dual LX 1500 made by Cinemeccanica — 20 yokes are used exclusively with the HDF-W26 projectors’. See Stancavage, ‘Dragone’s La Perle’, p. 45.

30 Arnold Aronson, The History and Theory of Environmental Scenography (London: Bloomsbury, Methuen Drama, 2018), p. 57.

31 Ibid.

32 Le Rêve was an aquatic show (2005–2020) staged in a theatre specifically designed for the show, with a pool that was 45 by 30 metres, and 7.6 metres deep, used as a central stage at The Wynn Complex in Las Vegas. It was a theatrical performance that combined acrobatics, circus acts, swimming routines, dancing, high dives and live music. The show was directed by Franco Dragone. The theatre was designed by Scéno Plus, and the set was designed by Michael Crête. For more information, see <https://dragone.com/shows/le-reve/> [accessed 3 November 2023].

33 The House of Dancing Water was an aquatic show (2010–2020) staged in a custom-made theatre with a pool that was 50 metres in diameter and 8 metres deep, used as a central stage at the City of Dreams complex in Macau. The House of Dancing Water was one of the most lavish shows of its kind at the time of its run, a stage performance with clear dramaturgical structure that combined theatre with aerial and circus acts, acrobatics, dance, high dives and live music. The show was directed by Franco Dragone. The theatre was designed by Pei Partnership Architects, and the set was designed by Michael Crête. See Tabački, ‘Diving Into the Abyss’, pp. 3–5. For additional information, see <https://dragone.com/shows/the-house-of-dancing-water/> [accessed 3 November 2023].

34 The Dai Show is an aquatic show that opened in 2015 in a theatre within the Xishuangbanna International Resort complex, designed by Maciej Woroniecki and Alicia Tkacz (Stufish Entertainment Architects) specially for the purpose of the show. Its central wet stage area is 14 metres in diameter, which is flooded for some scenes up to 0.3 metres deep. Within the wet stage, a central pool pit measures 8 metres in diameter, and 5.5 metres in depth. The Dai Show merges theatrical performance with circus acts, dance, high-dive stunts, water displays, projections and live music. The show is directed by Franco Dragone. The set is designed by Alicia Tkacz, and water effects are by Apeiro Design and the STO Design Group. See Tabački, ‘Making a Splash’, pp. 80–5. For additional information, see <https://dragone.com/shows/the-dai-show/> [accessed 3 November 2023].

35 Arnold Aronson, The History and Theory of Environmental Scenography (London: Bloomsbury, Methuen Drama, 2018), pp. 58–77.

36 Strnad, cited in ibid., p. 61.

37 Walter Gropius wrote about the possibilities for perpendicular action in Total Theatre, in which actors would access the stage ‘from the ceiling by means of scaffolding’; see ibid., p. 62. In La Perle, rigging equipment enables airborne performances by harnessed protagonists who are descending from above the stage and audience area, reviving the idea conceived by Erwin Piscator for Total Theatre.

38 Ibid., pp. 60, 62.

39 Ibid., pp. 64, 71.

40 Ibid., pp. 62.

41 László Moholy-Nagy, Telehor, 1 (n.d.), 28 February 1936; see Josef Svoboda Scenographer, ed. by H. Albertová (Prague: Theatre Institute, 2008), p. 54.

42 Tabački, ‘Diving into the Abyss’, pp. 66, 69.

43 Tabački, ‘Make Me Feel’, pp. 119–39.

44 Tabački, ‘The Matter of Water’, pp. 172–3.

45 In the article ‘Making a Splash: Architectural Drama in Chinese Aquatic Theatres’, realisation efforts of aquatic shows are analysed through the lens of Edward Gordon Craig’s vision of kinetic theatre, illustrated in his etching portfolio ‘Motion’; see Tabački, ‘Making a Splash’, pp. 71–98.

46 K. M. Barad, Meeting the Universe Halfway (Durham, NC, and Chesham: Duke University Press, 2007), p. 137.

47 Ibid., p. 131.

48 Ibid.

49 Ibid., p. 181.

50 Ibid., p. 148.

51 Ibid., p. 149.

52 Ibid., pp. 89, 128, 178.

53 Ibid., p. 150.

54 ‘Thus, from its origins, capitalism has been a way of organising social relationships that was integrally connected with the relationship between humans and non-human nature. The end of a predominantly agricultural society, with widespread subsistence farming as a central element, also brought an end to culture’s close link to nature; culture, from that moment on, could no longer be found in the tending of crops and animals.’ See re:articulate, ‘Nature/Culture’, Current Issues in Cultural Studies, cultural-studies.org, June 2022, pp. 2–3 <https://www.cultural-studies.uni-kiel.de/current-issues-in-cultural-studies/nature-culture> [accessed 17 May 2020].

55 Barad, Meeting the Universe Halfway, p. 178.

56 Ibid.

57 ‘Cyborgs are not machines in just any sense, nor they are machine-organism hybrids. In fact, they are not hybrids at all. They are, rather, imploded entities, dense semiotic “things” – articulated string figures of ontologically heterogeneous, historically situated, materially rich, virally proliferating relatings of particular sorts, not all the time everywhere, but here, there, and in between, with consequences.’ See Donna Haraway, Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene (Durham, NC, and London: Duke University Press, 2016), p. 104; and Donna Haraway, ‘A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century’, in The Cybercultures Reader, ed. by David Bell and Barbara M. Kennedy (New York, NY: Routledge, 2000), pp. 291–324 (p. 292).

58 Seat prices range depending on auditorium sections, divided into gold, silver, bronze and VIP area.

59 Adam Kleinman, ‘“Intra-actions”: An Interview with Karen Barad’, Mousse, 34 (2012), 76–81.

60 Ibid., p. 77.

61 Ibid.

62 Erika Fischer Lichte and Benjamin Wihstutz, Performance and the Politics of Space: Theatre and Topology (New York, NY: Routledge, 2013), pp. 219–39.

63 Karen Barad, ‘Nature’s Queer Performativity’, Qui Parle, 19.2 (Spring/Summer 2011), 121–58 <https://doi.org/10.5250/quiparle.19.2.0121>.

64 Barad, Meeting the Universe Halfway, p. 183.

65 Jonathan Crary, Suspensions of Perception: Attention, Spectacle and Modern Culture (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001), p. 124.