The Lost

Misé en Scene

Mise En Scene is where the principles of navigation, configuration, and construction collide, manifesting in physical performance and theatrical presence. Up until this point, Wayfinder has existed in pieces—a collection of objects, texts, and paths that have been discovered, arranged, and reassembled. But theatre is a space of embodiment—a place where meaning must be both interpreted and enacted.

This chapter explores how ergodic storytelling moves beyond text and object into performance, and how the box’s fragmented pieces become something greater than the sum of their parts. This is where:

  • Navigation transforms into movement through space.
  • Configuration transforms into staging and dramaturgy.
  • Construction transforms into performance and meaning-making.

At its core, this chapter argues that mise en scene is not just about staging, but about the interplay of agency, presence, and meaning. It asks: What does it mean for an actor to embody an ergodic text? How does theatre engage with fragmented, non-linear storytelling? And how does Wayfinder's mise en scene challenge conventional staging methodologies?

PATH.

When will you go?

The Lost / 
The Dead

August Barrington's Journal 32nd September 2066

A poetry collection questioning our place in life. Questioning who we've become when so much is behind us, and so much is still ahead.

Float

Footnotes & References

  • Core Theoretical Foundations:

    1. David Bordwell & Kristin Thompson – Film Art: An Introduction

      • Although focused on cinema, Bordwell and Thompson’s breakdown of mise en scene as a structured space of meaning provides a useful lens through which to examine Wayfinder’s staging. Their analysis of spatial composition, lighting, and movement can be adapted to how objects and actors interact in a theatrical mise en scene.

      2️⃣ Hans-Thies Lehmann – Postdramatic Theatre

      • Lehmann’s theories of postdramatic performance directly correlate with Wayfinder's resistance to traditional structure. His work explores how narrative becomes spatial rather than sequential, making it a key reference for this chapter.

      3️⃣ Roland Barthes – Death of the Author

      • Barthes’ idea that meaning is created through interpretation rather than dictated by the creator is fundamental to mise en scene in Wayfinder. Once the actor engages with the box, interpretation becomes active performance—the final step in constructing meaning.

  • Critical Debates and Counterarguments:

    1. Anne Ubersfeld – Reading Theatre

      • Ubersfeld argues that mise en scene is secondary to the dramatic text, a perspective that directly opposes Wayfinder’s methodology. In traditional theatre, the director controls mise en scene to serve the script—but Wayfinder proposes that mise en scene is the script.

      2️⃣ Aristotle – Poetics

      • Aristotle’s classical model of unified narrative, linear progression, and catharsis stands in stark contrast to Wayfinder’s fragmented dramaturgy. This chapter interrogates whether the absence of linear resolution still allows for catharsis, or if ergodic theatre requires new forms of emotional engagement.

      3️⃣ Richard Schechner – Between Theater and Anthropology

      • Schechner examines the ritualistic and liminal nature of performance, contrasting the idea of theatre as a fixed space versus an evolving process. Barrington might argue that Wayfinder lacks traditional theatrical structure, while this chapter counters that performance does not require linearity to be affective.

  • Empirical Studies & Case Studies:

    1. 1️⃣ Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More

      • This immersive theatre experience exemplifies non-linear mise en scene, where audience members must physically navigate a fragmented narrative space. Like Wayfinder, its staging is ergodic—meaning is found through exploration rather than exposition.

      2️⃣ Complicité’s Mnemonic

      • A performance that blends live theatre, memory, and object-based storytelling. Mnemonic shares Wayfinder's interest in how objects become active agents of performance, reflecting how the box dictates theatrical movement and discovery.

      3️⃣ Immersive Escape Rooms & ARGs

      • Escape rooms and Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) offer spatial narratives that demand physical interaction. While not theatre in the conventional sense, their mise en scene is designed for active audience engagement, which directly parallels Wayfinder’s methodological framework.