14 :: ? complex, and allow for the explosion and exploration of these complexities. UJ Arts & Culture Resident Theatre Director Alby Michaels comments that one of the most surprising things for him was to realise the extent to which “interdisciplinarity” was not a familiar term or concept for the design teams or audiences. He cannot quite contain his deep satisfaction with the process, which he describes as offering a tangible and excellent example of the immense value of seeing the world through another’s eyes and of working outside of ones’ paradigm. Despite many of the contributors having had little-to-no previous exposure to the world of theatre, a crash course in the basic mechanics had everyone working off the same base, from which a range of design problems were worked, and where the best use of available resources was key to the success of the project. Professor Freschi notes with pride how the students took ownership and – regardless of their cultural/ ethnic/racial/social backgrounds – worked together to produce compelling and authentic designs, proving that the power of the creative disciplines can be amplified through structured and meaningful collaborative processes. The 2018 iteration will – appropriately – see Franz Kafka’s absurdist Metamorphosis brought to life in the same way. Drawing on the experiences of last year, the interdisciplinary focus will be expanded beyond FADA to include partnerships with Wits, AFDA and the British Council. Extended learning workshops will be offered around topics, such as industry standards and best practice, lighting, and principles of design versus construction, no doubt providing the framework for a more robust and detailed process, and even higher quality outcomes. Exploring the edges of the heightened experience associated with absurdist theatre will lend different kinds of challenges – not least of which, Michaels notes, is that the best design is not always