The Mall Experience--Invisible Theatre

I am really surprised that we were able to pull off some of the invisible theatre we staged at Lenox Square Mall yesterday! We have yet to have our rehearsal where we will recount our experiences but here is what I observed during the time at the mall:

First, the "black shop" task. Amy and I (the "snobby girls") made a point to go in after Shakeem had already tried to start a conversation with the staff and other customers there. We listened around the store for any people talking about the incident, but heard nothing (which suggests that this experiment didn't quite work), so we moved onto the next location: the food court.

At the food court we were minding our own business, eating Chik-fil-a in between our tasks, until we saw an argument breaking out on the other side of the food court. This, of course, was between Ula, Peter, and Hannah, with Peter caught in the middle. At first it seemed like they weren't getting enough people involved in it, but as the tensions escalated, so did the interest of the other mall-goers. Next thing I knew Hannah was visibly upset and heartbroken, although Peter claimed "it wasn't what it looked like!!". Then their private argument became a lot more public, as the guy at the table next to us started watching them intently, and shot us a weird look. So Amy and I looked at him, and engaged him in chat about the drama that was unfolding right before our eyes. He though it was "pretty hilarious" and turned his seat just so he could watch them.

After the cafeteria, Amy and I headed to Neiman's, where we pretended to browse through the sportswear section, although we were actually scoping out the ideal makeup counter. This kind of theatre has a certain detective-work aspect to it, or so we thought, as we pretended to consider $500 teeshirts, texting Angie and Karma the location of the counter and the time to come. Because our cell phones allowed us some flexibility, we are able to even text them WHILE we were at the makeup counter. Amy and I decided on the Laura Mercier counter, not because of the brand in particular, but because it was well-located, and the makeup artists were all engaged except one. This was important, because if there had been another free makeup artist waiting around, they could easily just do Angie and Karma's makeup, without reason for them to get upset or impatient. So we went there, looking for "prom makeup", and I ended up in the hot-seat, holding a mirror up to my face while the makeup lady tried to make me look like a mermaid. This set-up worked well, because Amy was in a high-chair right next to me, hands free, and was able to take my phone and "text my mom" (AKA text Angie about logistics). As I held the mirror up, I had the advantage of being able to see behind me, as Angie and Karma, dressed in old sweats, approached. Amy and I acted disgusted when Angie demanded attention from the sales lady, who turned her nose up and ignored her. Well, Angie did not let down easy! She said again, "Excuse me lady! Can I please get some help here?" but the woman at the counter turned her down, and I told Angie and Karma that they, "were making me feel very uncomfortable, and that they should probably find somewhere else to shop." Refusing to give up, Angie and Karma asked if they could at least get their makeup done after Amy and I had finished, but the saleslady claimed to have an appointment. When they talked to another makeup artist at a nearby counter, she too claimed to be booked! So Amy and I proceeded to be horrified by these girls coming into our store, trying to rain on our makeup parade, and the makeup artist was quite flustered. When Angie and Karma asked if they could atleast have some free samples or something, the saleswoman was, of course, not accommodating, and continued to ignore them. Eventually they went away, but I noticed Angie and Karma talking to a nearby saleswoman about the incident. We knew it left some lasting impression on the woman at the counter, because she continued to bring it up for the duration of time I was in her chair. "What were those girls even doing here?" she asked, and Amy and I agreed, saying "after all, this is Neiman's!". I think the fact that the saleslady kept talking about it was an indicator that our mission was successful, but I felt kind of guilty for taking advantage of her and her time. She did seem upset by the confrontation with Angie and Karma, who told me my makeup "looked so ugly" (hahahahahah), and I felt a little bit manipulative as a result. I ended up buying the makeup, and giving it to my mom our of even more guilt. Who knew that Invisible Theatre could make a person feel so guilty!

Lastly, the best part of the day was the FROZEN SCENE. Our first attempt at two minutes was good, but not long enough to make people notice, so we tried for five minutes. When a group of us froze in a "posing for a picture" position, we were there for about 2 minutes until a security woman on a segway interrupted us. At first we ignored her, trying to stay in character, but then it seemed like we were risking getting kicked out of the mall, so we scattered and resumed new, less precarious positions. Jonathan and I froze in front of a jewelry store window, and although y back was turned to them, I could hear people stopping by and wondering "are they real?!". By the end, a whole crowd of people had formed near all the frozen kids, and the shoppers of Lennox had DEFINITELY noticed.