What Is Quarantine Theatre?
/This is a big question, and one that many people are currently trying to answer:
How can we make and perform theatre from our current states of quarantine and extreme social distance?
I’ve seen and heard this topic explored all over the place, particularly over the past two weeks, as we all look forward into a summer likely to leave theaters across the country (and the world) with nothing but well-lit ghosts.
I’ve personally seen this question posed by:
The Dramatists Live (hosted by Joey Stock, Amanda Green, and Christine Toy Johnson weekly)
Lauren Gunderson on her Howlround TV show (excellent, by the way!)
Ken Davenport in his blog
Multiple Artistic Directors of professional theaters
The heads of several University Theatre Departments
Teaching Artist friends and colleagues
And several quarantine-specific online creator groups
And if that’s just what I’ve seen - without specifically searching on this topic - I imagine that theatrical people everywhere are looking for these same answers.
So, what are people coming up with?
Is It Theatre Or Film?
The first aspect of Quarantine Theatre that everyone has questioned is:
Can it be done live successfully, or must it be previously recorded? And does that negate its qualification as “theatre”?
Let’s look at some definitions of theatre:
The activity or profession of acting in, producing, directing, or writing plays.
A play or other activity or presentation considered in terms of its dramatic quality.
Entertainment in the form of a dramatic or diverting situation or series of events.
By these definitions, I would undoubtedly say yes - Quarantine Theatre over the internet qualifies as “theatre.”
However, I would also like to point out that the second and third definitions could easily apply to most of what we have separately deemed “film” and “television.” TV and film are, essentially, their own subcategories of theatre, for which we have created purposeful distinctions.
With that in mind, where do we draw the (somewhat arbitrary) line in our Quarantine Theatre between the genres of theatre and film? And should we?
Things to consider:
Was it recorded, either in part or in total?
Was any part of it performed live online?
Was it directed as a play or a piece of film?
Was it rehearsed as a play for live performance, or rehearsed to be filmed in multiple takes?
Was it edited before release?
Clearly, the lines can begin to blur very quickly, which seems to be making some theatre-creators uncomfortable and anxious.
But I don’t think it should!
Yes, theatre has always distinguished itself in the non-coronavirus world as the “live medium,” and it absolutely should. But we’re all also trying to make art and tell stories with the tools we have at our disposal, and there is nothing wrong with that.
No matter how we qualify these performances, they all fall under the umbrella definitions of “theatre,” and the work is therefore valid and should be celebrated.
How Can Live Performance Work?
I knew that creatives were - well - creative, but I am impressed with the amount of unique creativity that is being applied to online theatrical forms in order to allow them to be live.
Theatre people really are the best.
So, what kinds of online live performance are possible?
Before I answer that, I do want to point out two very important things that many people seem to be forgetting:
We have been streaming live theatre for decades, from the Tony Awards broadcast, to the live cable musical presentations, to live opera streams, and more! The concept as a whole isn’t new, although there are more considerations now than ever before.
Watching recordings of live theatrical performances is still watching theatre. Perhaps you aren’t in the same room and you therefore aren’t getting the full experience, but you are still watching a piece of theatre. And major organizations - Lincoln Center, the National Theater, the Kennedy Center - have been airing filmed theatrical events for years!
But what about in the age of Quarantine Theatre?
Here’s some of what I’ve seen and heard discussed by colleagues, friends, college students, and other professionals in the field:
Play Readings - Getting people to sit on video chat and read a script cold isn’t much different than getting them to do the same thing in your apartment. And as long as you’re prepared for the slight delay in sound and don’t attempt to overlap dialogue, it apparently works very well.
Zoom Plays - This is a blossoming new genre, which I find fascinating. Just as plays were specifically written and adapted for the medium of radio with all its perks and limitations, something similar is now happening with Zoom. These can be plays about events taking place over the internet, or even plays about people in remote locations. I can’t wait to hear more about this genre as it develops.
Video Chat Adaptation - It seems people are getting very creative at finding ways to make it seem as though people in distinct squares on a screen are in the same space. I’ve heard of this being done with a stage manager/producer admitting and removing people from the video chat as they enter and exit scenes. Or to distinguish two locations, using a certain color in the background or the lighting. And even giving illusions of proximity by passing props out of your screen to have the other actor pick up their own version of that prop in their screen. Super cool.
Live Emceeing - Some events, and TV shows that are normally live, are having an emcee or host that is presenting live, but incorporating pre-recorded material as well. Think of the Hamilton cast on Some Good News - they pre-recorded the song, but John Krasinski remained live.
Using Tracks - Although music cannot be played live over video chat to be sung along with, people are getting very creative in singing to tracks in multiple locations. Sally Murphy and Jessie Meuller did this with a non-simultaneous duet of “If I Loved You” over a Zoom call. And dancing to tracks can be done in multiple locations fairly easily as long as the tracks are synced across all the screens.
Pre-Recorded - And, of course, prerecorded material being streamed - even with live conversation being held online via YouTube or Facebook - has been popular with many theaters over the past few weeks. And I think this is a practice that is likely to continue and to grow.
And these are just some of the ideas I’ve seen and heard!
So, is it doable? Absolutely.
Is it new and different? Yep!
And is that bad? Not in the least.
Resilience
Civilizations rise and fall, but the tradition of theatre persists.
We’ve always found a way, and Quarantine Theatre will be no exception. Let’s celebrate creativity and enjoy as much of our art form as possible, even as it looks and feels a little different.
Happy creating, everyone!
Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home!
