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16-17 May 2017, New Adelphi Studio, New Adelphi Building, School of Arts and Media Salford.

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Participants: Barnaby King and 4 students of Physical Theatre at Edge Hill University; Clown performer Alice Robinson (Clown Lab, Manchester), and student of clowning; Harry Mansuell (Undergraduate Performer, Bolton University), Sarah Lockwood (Lecturer in Dance, University of Salford),  Ashley Shorrock (Dance student, Burnley College). 

Laboratory 3 explored online and ‘virtual’ performance and engagement techniques and technologies. Further scripts were developed from improvisations. A section of the laboratory involved working with Jo Scott (University of Salford) to develop aesthetic principles and it was here that the idea of a hotel as a suitable framework emerged. The hotel offered spaces, rooms, in which to locate different domestic themes and practices - sleeping, cleaning, watching TV). Furthermore these spaces might be personalised for individual 'players'. With Barnaby King and students of Physical Theatre at Edge Hill University we explored ludic and playful narrative devising methods and the scope for responsiveness in the prototype that we were creating, following contemporary performance research. We had not decided on which platform (an app or an iBook? and which hardware (iPad? online TV? computer? Skype? Zoom?) to use. Meanwhile the characteristics and interactive 'schtick' of the clowns as hosts of the game was practised in a more competitive format for two live presentations - one at Humphrey Booth Resource Centre and one at Nursing Symposium that included a performance by a performer with Alzheimer's disease and for a small audience of people with relatively established dementia conditions.

The visits to care homes and community centres continually revise the format of interaction and conceptual designs with staff, people living with dementia and caregivers. Feedback included documented interviews, although in some cases contributors who are caregivers did not want to be recorded, and who wanted to remain anonymous. 

The work focussed on virtual Clowning through telematic performance methods, testing the possibilities of the clowning and play principle of complicité while performers and participants are located in different spaces, as they would be on Skype or Zoom. We established that our target audience of people with a recent diagnosis, living at home, would most likely interact as a pair, with no more than two clowns at a time. This involved a series of interactions involving performers Clown performer Alice Robinson (Clown Lab), and student of clowning Harry Mansuell (Bolton University), Dancer Sarah Lockwood (University of Salford) and her dance student, Ashley Shorrock from Burnley College. 
This produced a number of transcripts of dialogue, performances and scenes leading to digital design exercises with Dr Umran Ali (University of Salford, Senior Lecturer in Creative Media) with the intention of evolving a design environment for the prototype. An initial version used existing set designs that faithfully recreated the Fawlty Towers (BBC TV, 1975-79) set. We are still trying to secure copyright to use these environments, which are copyrighted by an American university in partnership with a broadcast company. 

The workshops for clowning practitioners continued wit a master class to disseminate principles of stillness, and affective interaction, as part of the Circus Symposium (celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Circus in 2018).