Today takes inspiration from the genre of happenings from the 1960s. You could see it as an orchestrated version of life: a collage of various pre-scripted but unrehearsed actions that unfold before the audience’s eyes. Interestingly, this strict structure of simple actions creates space for spontaneity and the unexpected.

Using art to structure life into more or less predictable actions—and in doing so, finding ways to embrace the unexpected—is precisely what appeals to Side-Show about this art form. We see happenings as a way to structure our environment so we can come together with a diverse audience, creating a meaningful shared experience.

In Today, everything begins with context. The very first happening took place when Allan Kaprow organized a picnic on a friend’s farm in 1957. We draw inspiration from that familiar context of a picnic. The audience gathers on a giant picnic blanket, chatting, and perhaps there’s even something to eat. Someone plays the piano continuously. Scattered across the picnic blanket, two circus artists perform a series of actions based on their own practices.

How can we make a happening relaxed? The form itself already offers important tools: the scores on which they are based provide an important foothold to the public and were also passed on to the public in advance in the sixties. The openness to surprise also ensures that the audience does not have to be quiet and motionless. Just like the happenings of the past, we leave the codes of the arts behind for a moment in an attempt to make togetherness and spontaneity possible for everyone. In a way, Today goes  a step further than Permit. This time, the boundaries between the actions of the performers and those of the audience are more porous. Life and theatre merge in the form of a picnic.