They greet the performers and respond to their routines, songs, and music. This active engagement involves audience members making choices regarding what to focus on and what to think about. While there is no substitute for being at a performance, it is still important to try to understand it, because some of society's most important ideas, institutions, and practices are activated and articulated when performers take center stage. CD-ROM technology provides a means to explore and study performance in an active way. The ability of the technology to combine many elements of performance and analysis helps to promote the viewer's sense of engagement and discovery.
Users can move through the information presented in any order they choose.
The navigation tools in the program facilitate exploration and users can move around the program quickly. Users will also gain a sense of the wealth of data presented as they move from scene to scene or idea to idea. Instant access to this substantial body of information on CD-ROM puts the users in a position that is parallel to that of actual audience members at a live performance. Like audience members, users are able to synthesize materials and draw their own associations and conclusions about the performance. Users guide their own exploration and create their own meanings.