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Digital Media and Technology

Digital media and technology are ever-evolving, and so is their relationship to theatre. In this section, you can learn about how theatremakers are incorporating media and tech into their art-making and career-building, as well as read New Crit pieces about work created to be shared online. Two interesting series to explore for a sense of how quickly the conversations change are Gwydion Suilebhan’s Techne—essays written in 2013 and 2014—and Performing the Internet, curated by Kate Bergstrom in January 2021. Check out content from the 2019 Digital + Performance Convening for a multifaceted look at this topic!

The Latest

Theatre By and For Gamers
Podcast
Theatre By and For Gamers
by Tjaša Ferme, Emma Bexell
14 March 2024
Aerial Performance in a Wheelchair 
Podcast
Aerial Performance in a Wheelchair 
by Tjaša Ferme, Laurel Lawson
7 March 2024
Gore and Myth in Theatre Mitu's (holy) BLOOD
Podcast
Gore and Myth in Theatre Mitu's (holy) BLOOD
by Tjaša Ferme, Rubén Polendo
29 February 2024
two actors onstage
Pandemic Theatre Aesthetic
Essay

Pandemic Theatre Aesthetic

7 April 2020

Jonathan Mandell examines the new theatrical landscape brought on by COVID-19 and discusses the emerging aesthetic—one that is low-tech, low-key, one-on-one, close-up.

digital image of woman's face in blue
Downtown Variety
Video

Downtown Variety

Bringing La MaMa's 1960s café aesthetic to a virtual platform that links performers and audiences in real time across distance

Friday 3 April 2020
New York City

La MaMa and CultureHub presented Downtown Variety livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 3 April 2020 at 5 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

image of dancer in green with white text coping with covid
Coping with COVID: Livestreaming for Artists
Video

Coping with COVID: Livestreaming for Artists

An online workshop with Creative Capital to help artists better understand how to livestream their work to virtual audiences

Tuesday 31 March 2020
United States

Creative Capital presented Coping with COVID: Livestreaming for Artists livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 31 March 2020 at 1 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 9 p.m. BST (London, UTC+1).

hand sanitizer labeled "don't touch the art"
Come Together: The Art of Gathering in a Time of Crisis (ASL & Captioned)
Video

Come Together: The Art of Gathering in a Time of Crisis (ASL & Captioned)

an #ArtistResource talk with Bryan Joseph Lee

Tuesday 31 March
United States

Livestreamed the #ArtistResource panel Come Together: The Art of Gathering in a Time of Crisis on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 31 March 2020 at 8 a.m. HST (Honolulu, UST-10) / 10 a.m. AKDT (Juneau, UTC-8) / 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

three people looking at a large projection of a person's face
Lessons in Online Theatremaking from New Paradise Laboratories’ Whit MacLaughlin
Essay

Lessons in Online Theatremaking from New Paradise Laboratories’ Whit MacLaughlin

30 March 2020

Alex Ates speaks with Whit MacLaughlin—the experimental theatremaker who ventured into the online realm before it became our norm—about the intersection between digital technology and live performance and pedagogy.

digital image of woman's face in blue
Downtown Variety
Video

Downtown Variety

Bringing La MaMa's 1960s café aesthetic to a virtual platform that links performers and audiences in real time across distance

Friday 27 March 2020
United States

La MaMa and CultureHub presented Downtown Variety livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 27 March 2020 at 5 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

four outlines of people with one in a hijab
Performance of Snapshots by Convergence Theatre
Video

Performance of Snapshots by Convergence Theatre

New Virtual Theatre about Islam, Sexuality, and Cultural Appropriation

Friday 27 March 2020
Washington, D.C.

Convergence Theatre presented its virtual performance of Snapshots by Asif Majid, livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday March 27 2020 at 4 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 6 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 7 p.m EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 11 p.m. GMT (London, UTC+0).

a person teaching
Teaching Performing Arts During the Pandemic
Essay

Teaching Performing Arts During the Pandemic

23 March 2020

Tracy C. Davis talks to instructors at Northwestern University about how they are preparing to teach acting and dance—quintessentially embodied forms dependent on human-to-human observation and whole-body involvement—online.

image of cleaning wipes with the word "Don't Touch The Art"
Artists In a Time of Global Pandemic (ASL & Captioned)
Video

Artists In a Time of Global Pandemic (ASL & Captioned)

For US-Based Freelance Artists and Cultural Workers in all Disciplines

Monday 16 March 2020
United States and the World

HowlRound and a group of artists, arts administrators, and others from around the US discussed how COVID-19 is impacting freelance artists. The panel was livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 16 March 2020.

American sign language interpretation and live captions are available.

yellow background with black re-fest text
Re-Fest NYC
Video

Re-Fest NYC

CultureHub’s annual festival brings artists, activists, and technologists together to envision our role in re-shaping the future

Thursday 12 March - Saturday 14 March 2020
New York City

CultureHub presented their annual festival Re-Fest livestreaming on the commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 12 March to Saturday 14 March 2020.

people sitting on a mountain facing away from camera with tripod in foreground
The Mixed Reality Performance Symposium: UBC
Video

The Mixed Reality Performance Symposium: UBC

with Toasterlab in Vancouver, British Columbia

Friday 21 February 2020
Vancouver, British Columbia

Toasterlab presented the Mixed Reality Performance Symposium at UBC livestreamed on the commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 21 February 2020 from 10 a.m. PST (Vancouver, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 1 p.m EST (Toronto, UTC -5) to 4 p.m. PST (Vancouver, UTC -8) / 6 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. EST (Toronto, UTC-5).

The Mixed Reality Performance Symposium
Video

The Mixed Reality Performance Symposium

by Toasterlab with Sensorium: Centre for Digital Arts and Technology at York University

Tuesday 5 November 2019
Toronto, Ontario

Toasterlab and Sensorium: Centre for Digital Arts and Technology presented the Mixed Reality Performance Symposium livestreamed on the commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 5 November 2019 from 7 a.m. PST (Vancouver, UTC -8) / 9 a.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 10 a.m EST (Toronto, UTC -5) to 2 p.m. PST (Vancouver, UTC -8) / 4 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 5 p.m. EST (Toronto, UTC-5).

performer with a projection of a neural net displayed on and above them.
Virtual Reality, Cyborgs, and Neuroscience in Contemporary Performance
Video

Virtual Reality, Cyborgs, and Neuroscience in Contemporary Performance

at The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center

Monday 4 November 2019
New York City

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center presented the artist talk Virtual Reality, Cyborgs, and Neuroscience in Contemporary Performance livestreamed on the commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Monday 4 November 2019 at 6:30 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 3:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 23:30 GMT (London, UTC +0).

two actors onstage
The Factory of the Future
Essay

The Factory of the Future

A Collaborative Project for Imagining Otherwise

30 September 2019

Zoë Svendsen discusses working with fellow theatremakers to build and present imagined realities of London and Oslo in post-capitalist and post-fossil-fuel cultures.

colorful illustrations of folk tale characters with performance information
A performance of :HUMPTY
Video

A performance of :HUMPTY

at The VORTEX in Austin, Texas

Friday 27 September 2019
Austin, Texas

Ethos and The VORTEX presented a performance of :HUMPTY livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Friday 27 September 2019 at 9 p.m. EDT (New York) / 8 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles).

the transmedia playful aesthetics event graphic.
Transmedia Playful Aesthetics by Patrícia Gouveia
Video

Transmedia Playful Aesthetics by Patrícia Gouveia

Arts based research, playful media, gaming, participation and civic engagement

Monday 16 September 2019
Bucharest, Romania

The Goethe Institute in Bucharest, Romania presented the Cultural Management Academy 2019 Opening Lecture Transmedia Playful Aesthetics by Patrícia Gouveia livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Monday 16 September at 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 16:00 UTC +0 / 5 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2) / 19:00 EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3).

black arrows with black text assitej artistic gathering
The ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering 2019
Video

The ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering 2019

Presented by ASSITEJ - International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People

Tuesday 3 September - Friday 6 September
Kristiansand, Norway

ASSITEJ presented The ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering 2019 livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network from Tuesday 3 September to Friday 6 September.

Linked Digitial Future event logo
Linked Digital Future for the Performing Arts Study
Video

Linked Digital Future for the Performing Arts Study

Research on the development of an international linked open data ecosystem for the performing arts

Wednesday 21 August 2019
Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Co-authors of the report A Linked Digital Future for the Performing Arts: Leveraging Synergies along the Value Chain, Beat Estermann and Frédéric Julien, will present key insights from a groundbreaking research on the development of an international linked open data ecosystem for the performing arts. This conceptual model will be demonstrated with actual data visualizations from a Canadian theatre production. Benefits for the stakeholders of the performing arts value chain and recommendations for next steps will be discussed. This presentation and discussion will be of interest to anyone interested in digital collaboration and digital discoverability of the performing arts. Livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Wednesday 21 August 2019 at 9 a.m PDT (Vancouver) / 10 a.m. MDT (Calgary) / 11 a.m. CDT (Winnipeg) / 12 p.m. EDT (Montréal) / 16:00 UTC +0 / 5 p.m. BST (London)   

a group sitting in three concentric circles inside a large windowed space
The Intersection of Digital Technology and Live Performance
Essay

The Intersection of Digital Technology and Live Performance

Observations from HowlRound and SpiderWebShow’s Digital + Performance Convening

12 August 2019

May Antaki reflects on the Digital + Performance Convening, produced by HowlRound Theatre Commons and SpiderWebShow Performance, which focused on the intersection of digital technology and live performance.

folda conference poster
FoldA
Video

FoldA

Festival of Live Digital Art

Thursday 13 June through Saturday 15 June 2019
Kingston, Ontario, Canada

SpiderWebShow Performance and HowlRound presented events from FoldA (Festival of Live Digital Art) livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Thursday 13 June to Saturday 15 June 2019.

Collage of theatre artists participating in activities at the Digital + Performance Convening.
Digital + Performance Convening
Video

Digital + Performance Convening

at the foldA Festival in Kingston, Ontario

12 June 2019
Kingston, Ontario At The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts

On 12 June 2019 in Kingston, Ontario, HowlRound Theatre Commons and SpiderWebShow Performance will co-produce a one day Digital + Performance Convening that will bring together up to fifty practitioners, curators, and scholars from the US and Canada working at the intersection of performance and digital technology for a day of discussion that aims to break open assumptions and reveal future possibilities for the art form.

audience members inside an enclosed transparent VR tent
Narrative Sharing and Narrative Shifting with Digital Technology
Essay

Narrative Sharing and Narrative Shifting with Digital Technology

10 June 2019

Members of the Detroit-based artist collective Complex Movements discuss the connection between technology, performance, and social justice community organizing.

two actors onstage with three large projections behind them
Digital + Live Performance
Essay

Digital + Live Performance

Exploring the Present and the Future

6 June 2019

In the lead-up to HowlRound’s Digital + Performance Convening, Michael Wheeler and Sydney Skybetter chatted, via Slack, about some of the big questions artists are faced with as they contemplate the connection between theatre and technology.

an actor against a projection of rain
Modes of Media in Digital Performance
Essay

Modes of Media in Digital Performance

5 June 2019

David Z. Saltz—director, installation artist, and teacher of digital performance—talks about the early days of digital media in theatre and the six main roles it plays in live performance.

hand holding a cell phone screen depicting a classical painting
Screening Performance, Performing Screens: New Projections in Theatre and Media
Video

Screening Performance, Performing Screens: New Projections in Theatre and Media

at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center

Tuesday 14 May 2019
New York City

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City presented conversations from Screening Performance, Performing Screens: New Projections in Theatre and Media livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Tuesday 14 May.