The MetaMOOphosis

Current state of the Work

The MetaMOOphosis is complete!! Only one bug remains and it's the main character! Additions in 1999 include:

• Bots who monitor the MOO for errant costumes and props.
• An applecore that can be thrown at Gregor resulting in infection and eventual death. (In keeping with the novel, it is best if Grete throws it.)
• A course outline for planning a curriculum around the installation

Read Archives of Performances online:

At the ATHEMoo (A text based performance, research and conferencing environment run by Juli Burk in Hawaii), one can now type @go Kafka from the lobby and arrive at the front door of Gregor Samsa's house. This is a theatre work in which visitors can take costumes and create a theatre piece over the internet. To connect to the Moo, you need to use a telnet program and connect to moo.hawaii.edu 9999 or if you have a recent version of explorer (4.5) or Netscape (4.6) you can use the Encore Java interface at http://moo.hawaii.edu:7000/

(or type 'telnet' from your unix shell, then 'open' and then moo.hawaii.edu 9999.)

For those who have no moo experienceyou can hop to MooFacts, the quick tutorial or read on and get a feel.

The Costume names are all abbrieviated:

• Mrs.Samsa= Mother, mom, Mrs., M
  
• Mr.Samsa= Father, F, dad, Mr.
  
• Gregor= bug, G,insect, brother
  
• Grete =S, sister
  
• an observer = ob, observer
  
• Herr Doctor= doc, doctor
  
• the journalist=journalist,journ, reporter
  

If you take a costume you can type 'look (costume name)' which instructs you in its use.

the 'read' verb
Costumes come with built-in scripts! you can type 'read M' (or G or Mr. or bug depending on which costume you have). One of 30 lines is then randomly chosen and printed to the screen.

These lines have been chosen as prompts for improvisation 'in the style of' a kafka work, complete with paranoia, sexual innuendo, Freudian overtones etc.
The lines can also generate a sort of stand alone performance if improvisation is not desired.

The rooms
From the Foyer one can move to the livingroom or kitchen on the first floor or take the stairs up to a hallway where three bedrooms, another staircase and an attic can be found. From Grete's bedroom to Gregor's and vice vresa, one can look or talk through the keyhole in the door between their rooms.

Using the crack in the door from the hallway to Gregor's room and the keyhole from Grete's to Gregor's room, a conversation much like the one in the early pages of the novel can take place.

Any suggestions for added objects, text for the scripts, etc are welcome and desired.

The final preview has been thoroughly documented. There are eight separate rooms, each having it's own performance but also being a part of the complete work.

The Front Yard
The Foyer
The Hallway Upstairs
The kitchen
The Sitting Room
The Parent's Bedroom
The Sister's Room
The Insect Gregor's Room

Thanks to

• Steve Shrum COLLAB-L listserve leader who introduced me to the Moo environment.
• Juli Burk - Head of Theatre and Dance and ATHEMoo curator - University of Hawaii
• ATHE - Association of Theatre in Higher Education (host to the MetaMOOphosis site)
• R. Michael Young aka Palmerin - Programmer and Thinker Extraordinaire
• Monika Wunderer - Austria, ideas behind the Oedis Project.
• Lisa D. Niemczura - Computer Science and Internet Theatre expert from UHM.
• Firne - a Wizard at SNOW
• Wes Cooper - DrW at Walden Pond Moo
• Bob Canary - archwiz at MooWP

Rick Sacks, Toronto ..... rixax@vex.net
Visit Rik's Cafe Canadian at http://www.vex.net/~rixax