Plum Road Tea Dream_The Performance is a theater piece in which the audience follows two performers as they immerse themselves in a video game. This virtual game world was designed by Samuel Baidoo as a space for new mourning rituals, to store memories and reflect on them from the perspective of a person of color and queer artist.
This hybrid experience combines theater, gaming, and ritual. Through the performative possibilities of livestreaming, the two performers reveal the intimate emotional and experiential world of the character S to the audience. The audience is drawn into a cinematic experience that becomes theatrical as the streaming unfolds live on stage. Onstage, a familiar dynamic of online gaming emerges: a community watching a player experience a game for the first time.
One performer takes on the role of guide. The other is a guest playing the game for the first time. Their encounter on stage is both authentic and performative. While the game is projected on a large screen, the audience witnesses the performers’ reactions. The guide navigates the journey and uses the virtual world as a starting point for a personal and societal conversation with the guest.
Plum Road Tea Dream_The Performance offers a layered story that combines fiction and reality through encounter, recognition, and imagination. It is an immersive experience that invites empathy. After the performance, the audience can explore the models, sketches, and objects that formed the basis of the virtual creations. Online meets offline, creating an exhibition space for discussion and reflection.
