Dutch multidisciplinary theater group Hotel Modern will be performing “The Great War” next weekend at The Wexner Center for the Arts. The show is presented daily Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

“The Great War” documents battle, particularly World War I, through the eyes of a soldier. It expresses the trials that soldiers have faced fighting in war and their communication with family.

Hotel Modern’s performance technique is unlike that of most plays. It is a live animation film, which means it is acted out on stage, but the audience watches the show on a screen, like in a movie theater.

Hotel Modern’s members manipulate figurines no bigger than a G.I. Joe. Tiny cameras record scenes on a battlefield the size of a dining room table. Different scenes are placed on tables spread across the stage floor.

“The entire stage area is a scale model of the landscape of the war scenes,” said Chuck Helm, director of performing arts at the Wexner Center.

The audience can watch both the screen and group members manipulating the figurines on stage.

“It is set up specifically so you can see both things happening at the exact same time,” Helm said.

Many creative elements influence the show. The terrain consists of potting soil, parsley and rusty nails. Pounding on a table represents exploding grenades and the strike of a match symbolizes the sound of mustard gas being released.

The show isn’t entirely devoid of human actors, however. During one brutal scene, the miniature soldiers are placed in the soil and are flicked by a member’s finger, which symbolizes being shot.

Hotel Modern produces most of their shows in this format. Helm said that live animation films are the group’s “trademark.”

While the actors and settings are far from reality, the testimonials voiced in the show were taken directly from letters written by soldiers. Writing was the most effective way of communicating with family during World War I.

One scene shows a woman writing a letter to her mother. The letter is read aloud as a camera winds through the trench, showing the miniature soldier amidst gunshots.

Hotel Modern is made up of three members and was formed in 1997. According to their Web site, their productions look at both the “brutality” and “humor” of the world. They mostly perform in the Netherlands and Europe.

After Columbus, the group performs three days in Minneapolis at the end of the month. They will then give shows in Amsterdam in March and Switzerland in June.

The show has gained recent relevance in the United States because of involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Helm said shows like “The Great War” are not new to the Wexner Center. “We have worked with groups that use a similar technique, but nothing quite like what this Dutch group does,” he said.

Tickets are available through the Wexner Center box office by calling (614) 292-3535 or online at wexarts.org. Students may purchase tickets for a reduced rate of $10.