Tapping in to gaming subcultures to build new theatre audiences
What happens when a game-obsessed playwright meets two puppet artists who want to make a new theatre work? The answer is a masterstroke in arts audience development.
A bold new theatre work that is also a lesson in how to unlock untapped potential within societal subcultures for audience growth. Photo: Andrea Mae.
If you have never heard of the phenomenon that is tabletop role-playing games (or TTRPG to insiders), it may come as a shock that this low-fi, fantasy-based leisure activity is not the niche pastime you may imagine it to be.
But aside from the game having a strong presence in McArdle’s personal life for almost two decades, the artist has also found ways to bring some of the magic he feels while gaming to his work as a playwright, performer and theatre-maker.
ArtsHub's Arts Feature Writer Jo Pickup is based in Perth. An arts writer and manager, she has worked as a journalist and broadcaster for media such as the ABC, RTRFM and The West Australian newspaper, contributing media content and commentary on art, culture and design. She has also worked for arts organisations such as Fremantle Arts Centre, STRUT dance, and the Aboriginal Arts Centre Hub of WA, as well as being a sessional arts lecturer at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).
