This is not a performance—it’s a model for the way we could live. In The Democratic Set, members of the local community are invited to help make a movie. The process is one of collaboration, not leadership; egalitarianism, not hierarchy. The “set” of the title is an empty room, built and displayed in The Roundhouse. It can function as a dramatic setting, a virtual soapbox or whatever else the given participant wishes.

Each cast member gets a brief rehearsal for their 15-second video portrait; each portrait is captured in a single take, with the camera moving across the set in the same direction each time. Edited and presented, the successive portrait-shots appear as a continuous movement through the rooms of an imaginary space; that space is one of freedom, constructed from cooperation and fellowship. What emerges is a wonderful paradox: a group vision of individual expression. When the final work premieres for the public, it’s a moment of shared triumph.

Filming sessions on the set are open to the public; no booking is required to observe. Limited slots to participate are available at the venue each day.

Following the Film Screening there will be a free opening night party.