Hi Kevin, Hi Kristen,

How do you control what your audience is "feeling" while Kristen is being tied, chained, boxed, etc.

Hey Cliff...great and very deep question.

I'm not sure we can control what the audience is feeling. But I think we can definitely direct or steer their feelings. I think first and foremost, the audience has to care for and about Kristen. If they don't care for the the performer, then they have no vested interest in caring if they escape. So we try to endear Kristen to the audience with the show, with her interaction with the audience and with the interaction between the two of us.

The water cell has its own unique opportunity to elicit feelings from the audience. First, that it's in full view allows to audience to see that Kristen is truly holding her breath. They themselves start to hold their breath, sometimes to see if they can hold it for as long as she does, other times just in anticipation, nervousness, etc. That coupled with the video we play during the water cell really can push some people over the egde. The video contains words that flash across the scene in a distressed manner. They are various words from the song we use. The words are things Kristen is going through and emotions that Kristen and the audeince is going through. When we first unveiled the video years ago alongside the water cell, it got great reactions from people that had seen the water cell perviously without it. It really reaches people on a subconscious level.

To performers reading this...you can more easily 'control' your audiences feeling if first they truly care about you. Even an antagonist in a movie is only hated because the audience has feeligs for him.

Hope that helps!
Kevin