The BPM is incredibly excited to announce that we have been working in collaboration with the University of Zürich’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Department to write, direct, and perform a theatrical workshop titled UNIVERSITY SIMULATOR!
Performances will take place on Friday the 5th of December at 18:30 in the ETH main building, room HG E 41; and Saturday the 6th of December at 18:30 in the UZH main building, room RAA-G-01.
Entry is free but a reservation is required as there are limited seats. You can reserve tickets here.
Summary:
Eddy, a naïve but well-meaning Video Game Streamer, is excited to test out a new game called University Simulator in which the objective is to make it through a semester of University with the highest possible amount of Credits. A lot is riding on him getting a perfect score; after all, if he manages to do so, he will donate all the proceeds from his stream to ‘women or something like that’. When he boots up the Character Selection screen, he is faced with four possible options, most of them equipped with some form of social disadvantage. Should he play as Erin, the lesbian? Or Tonya, the woman of colour? Should he try his hand at Carrie, who has ADHD? Or should he stick with the ‘safe’ option of Guy, the white man?
As Eddy makes his way through the various levels of the game, it quickly becomes apparent that getting the highest amount of Credits isn’t as easy as he thought it would be. In fact, the whole structure of the game appears to be rigged against the characters depending on what demographics they inhabit.
In collaboration with the EDI Department, the Blueprint Masquerades have created an interactive theatrical workshop that is meant to engage viewers and get them to reflect on how certain marginalised groups are at a systemic disadvantage in institutions such as Universities. Throughout the play, the audience (or ‘chat’, as Eddy calls them) will be faced with certain choices, ranging from which character to pick to what social group the players should join. Based on these choices, different paths are unlocked that add or remove Credits and contribute to the final score. Will Eddy achieve his goal of a perfect score? Or will he fail to get the Credits needed to graduate the semester? And, most importantly, what will he learn about himself and the world around him?
Blueprint Masquerades 