In 1983 Lacy began exploring a populist theater movement (spanning several decades between 1880-1940 in the U.S.) as inspiration for a contemporary public performance. Characteristics of this movement included vast civic participation in tableau vivants and often politically oriented historical reconstructions. Through use of the tableau, Lacy began to create striking visual imagery to symbolically represent lengthy pre- and post-performance “actions” around a theme. The Whisper Projects in San Diego and Minneapolis are examples of this form of Lacy’s work, both focusing on aging and its public representation through media and public opinion.