Does the stage translate to a screen?
There are many types of drama and performing arts we are happy to enjoy on the small screen, as beyond the staple TV series, comedies and soaps/sitcoms consider how the nation loves to watch music and dance - especially in the form of talent shows like Strictly, The Greatest Dancer, The X Factor or Britain's Got Talent. For years there have been attempts to sell consumers their favourite plays and musicals on demand when they are adapted into movies or filmed on stage.
The National Theatre has been live-streaming their productions to a wider audience for over 10 years, in an initiative that brought the publicly funded shows to your local cinema. I have always considered this a democratising move, as many cannot overcome the barriers of expense and distance to experience London theatre. Now during the coronavirus lockdown period, NT are streaming their recorded shows into our living rooms, in fact, virtual theatre is suddenly available from many organisations. For the latest available shows visit these sites:
Naturally, after venues were abruptly closed following the government action on the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK, artists and creatives started looking for digital ways to work and share their performances with their audiences. I admire their persistence and ingenuity. The question of when theatres will be permitted to reopen, and when audience confidence will return, is at present nothing but conjecture and uncertainty. In the meantime, the industry is faced with a collective question of how best to serve their community and distribute art when gatherings are a health risk.
I have watched a couple of these conventionally filmed offerings, and enjoyed the chance to catch popular shows I had missed whilst snacking on the sofa. The drinks are cheaper, there is no queue for the bathroom, and if watching with a housemate you are free to trade reactions and snarky comments without judgement.
Yet I miss hearing the reactions of others, discussing the show in the bar afterwards, and having to leave behind all the distractions of the outside world. Despite knowing many of the tricks of the trade, I am still capable of being moved to tears or joy by a standout production.
A night at the virtual theatre
Recently I was part of an audience of 150+ watching a two-hander play, performed live and entirely on Zoom, the ubiquitous video call software. I did this on my sofa whilst eating sausage and mash for dinner! It was an existing fringe show, 'Ken' by Terry Johnson who performs the work as a monologue, along with many interjections by actor Jeremy Stockwell who plays the titular director Ken Campbell and himself.
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| Screenshot of the Zoom call from Terry's Facebook page. |
The set up was interesting; obviously some performers use Facebook Live or Youtube for their digital shows, but this was viewed through Zoom switching to whoever was making noise (so larger casts or overlapping dialogue would be difficult). Terry had changing virtual backgrounds to fit the setting, such as an empty pub or neglected old theatre, though these were static and unpeopled it was a nice touch.
In general it worked well, while the audience watched but was required to turn off their audio and camera feeds so as not to disrupt the play. At one point Terry lost his feed of Jeremy and the unseen virtual Stage Manager had to take over and reboot, whilst Jeremy riffed in character as Ken for at least 10 minutes. Because of professional curiosity, I find show stops interesting despite sympathising with their stressful nature, and they did well to recover from this technological failure; similar to technical faults that derail IRL performances.
Jeremy paced throughout and performed actions as directed such as talking on a banana to signify a phone. The design, props and lighting were absent, but the dialogue could still be spoken. It felt informal, intimate and slightly haphazard. We unmuted ourselves to applaud at the end, the only moment when it particularly felt like a communal experience. Watching from our separate dwellings but bound together in our attention, choosing to 'be' here.
We are social creatures, and I don't truly believe virtual interactions can replace in-person contact and shared experiences beyond these exceptional circumstances. But they can bring us together briefly at a time when we are forced to remain isolated.
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