“The year is 2151, and you, have been selected to tour our happy community. Please understand much of what you are about to see may surprise and even confound you. No man or woman from the savage lands has seen behind our walls since the Savage Rebellion of 2026, when your state leaders refused to support the mergers and acquisitions treaty that installed UniCorp as the world’s pre-eminent modern governing corporation and peace-keeping institution. In celebration of the 125th anniversary of the signing of the M&A Treaty between UniCorps and the United Nations and as a demonstration of his great humanitarianism, the President has invited you here today to learn first hand about the future your Savage leaders denied you back in 2026 and to offer you the opportunity to rectify that decision by joining us now as happy citizens of the most forward-thinking governing corporation in the modern world.”
“Panopticon” refers to a glass prison designed by the 18th century social philosopher and theorist Jeremy Bentham where all (“pan”) inmates could be watched (“opticon”) over by one guard, situated securely and invisibly inside a central tower, unseen by the prisoners themselves. The piece surrounds audience members in a three-dimensional, multi-sensory maze that transforms around audience members and performers alike as events progress.
”How singular is the thing called pleasure, and how curiously related to pain, which might be thought to be the opposite of it; for they never come to a man together, and yet he who pursues either of them is generally compelled to take the other. They are two, and yet they grow together out of one head or stem.”
– Socrates
“I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”
– Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Panopticon is an hour long immersive production. The audience stands and walks through the performance. There is no traditional audience seating. The performance is wheelchair accessible.
Accessibility Note: ODP is committed to making this immersive experience inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities. Mobility support, audio description, touch tour, and personal guide available upon request. Please email access@opendanceproject.org for more info and to reserve these services.