In "Moore Inside Out," a free event, the theater is part of the show

During its 102 years, the Moore Theatre has seen its share of spectacle, from vaudeville acts to boxing matches. But in "Moore Inside Out," tonight's free community event, the theater itself is part of the show.

Part of the fun of "Moore Inside Out" is the way it allows audiences to roam the theater and view performances in unexpected spaces: backstage, in the balconies, bathrooms and basement.

"We've kind of reversed how people experience the space," said D.K. Pan, co-founder of the Free Sheep Foundation, which specializes in creating site-specific "architectural interventions" that explore the meaning of places and how they are perceived. Pan and co-curator NKO of Free Sheep are responsible for the Moore event, which is being presented by The Seattle Theatre Group and funded by 4Culture Site-Specific, a group of artists and arts agencies.

More than 50 local artists were given the challenge of incorporating The Moore into their acts or installations. Pan said he hopes to convey with the project that creating installations in a specific space is an art genre, just like painting or sculpting.

On arrival, visitors will be handed an architectural rendering of the 32,120-square-foot theater, which was built in 1907 by Seattle developer James A. Moore on the freshly regraded Second Avenue. The map will guide people to more than 30 works of visual art and performance art happening simultaneously throughout the building.

Works include Jason Puccinelli's "The Four Directions," a three-dimensional spinning sculpture that reveals several two-dimensional images when viewed from different places in the theater; a scaffolding bridge by Lead Pencil Studio that connects stage and first balcony; and musical performances by Jason Webley and Byron Au Yong.

Performance group Seattle School is planning to reunite Urania, the Greek muse of astronomy and the only muse not to be depicted in marble in the Moore's lobby, with the rest of her sister muses. The unpredictable Urania will be portrayed by Marya Sea Kaminski.

Moore architect E.W. Houghton originally left Urania out because she was the only muse not to inspire one of the arts.

Blythe Lawrence: blawrence@seattletimes.com.