Our Manifesto

Our Manifesto, as summarized by our director, Leigh Pfeffer: 

Transformers:Robots in Design! are named so due to our dedication to exploring the transformative property of theatre and life i general. think about the way our world works. We are surrounded by objects, ideas, events that, when existing in a vacuum, mean nothing. It is only when we thrust other elements upon each other that we are able to create meaning. Take, for example, a simple cardboard box.At first glance, the box is just a box, but if you put it in front of a small child, it becomes a magical device that has the ability to transform into anything they want it to be through the power of imagination. The box also serves as a tool during the journey to adulthood, assisting in the move to college, to your first apartment, to your first home, to a family, et. cetera. This line of thinking with the box can go on and on-- there are infinite possibilities. We believe  that this essential transformative property is what makes theatre theatre. It's like the old adage-- if you put a chair onstage, is it still a chair? The very essence of theatre as art lies in its ability to transform onstage. Just as in the ay an actor becomes a character, a prop/light/set, etc. can dramatically transform and apear to be something completely beyond its simple physical appearance. our designs throughout the class will hopefully be consistent and perhaps even progressive through the use and exploitation of this transformative power of theatre.