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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
youtube screenshot
a farm for my mother, a farm for meme
Essay

a farm for my mother, a farm for meme

21 December 2020

Priscilla Solis Ybarra reflects on her experience watching Virginia Grise’s a farm for meme at home, during the pandemic, with her eighty-two-year-old mother whose life shares parallels with the story in the play.

Uncovering
Video

Uncovering

A work-in-progress video collaboration featuring artists connected to Kingston, Ontario

Wednesday 16 December 2020
Canada

anARC Theatre and the Circus Kingston Collective presented a work-in-progress performance of Uncovering livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 16 December 2020 at 3 p.m. PST (Vancouver, UTC -8) / 5 p.m. CST (Winnipeg, UTC -6) / 6 p.m. EST (Toronto, UTC -5).

Downtown Variety: Take 16
Video

Downtown Variety: Take 16

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

Friday 11 December 2020
United States

La MaMa and CultureHub presented Downtown Variety: Take 16 livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 11 December 2020 at 5 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 7 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 8 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

Readymade Cabaret 2.0
Video

Readymade Cabaret 2.0

In which both the play’s scenes and the order in which they are performed are determined by the audience’s roll of the dice

Sunday 6 December 2020
United States

This Is Not A Theatre Company presented a performance of Readymade Cabaret 2.0 livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 6 December 2020 at 11 a.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 1 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

un escaparate colorido
Moving an LGBTIQ+ Arts and Healing Space in Bogotá Online During the Pandemic/Trasladando a la virtualidad un espacio de artes y sanación LGBTIQ+ en Bogotá durante la pandemia
Essay

Moving an LGBTIQ+ Arts and Healing Space in Bogotá Online During the Pandemic/Trasladando a la virtualidad un espacio de artes y sanación LGBTIQ+ en Bogotá durante la pandemia

4 December 2020

Viviana Vargas shares what it’s been like transitioning their Bogotá-based arts, culture, and healing storefront, Balistikal, into an online space during the pandemic./Viviana Vargas comparte cómo ha sido la transición de su espacio físico en Bogotá, de arte, cultura y sanación, llamado Balistikal, a un espacio en línea durante la pandemia.

black and white photo of two people in different masks facing each other through glass
Creativity in Strange Times / Creatividad en tiempos extraños
Essay

Creativity in Strange Times / Creatividad en tiempos extraños

Making Performance with a "Lockdown Aesthetic" / Haciendo las obras con un "Lockdown Estética"

2 December 2020

Cris Tengono talks about how, thanks to the pandemic, a virtual artistic world has begun to develop in Colombia—one of infinite possibilities and without borders, where nationalities do not matter—and shares some of the work that has come out of it.

zoom video chat of several people
Seven Performers Living in Bogotá / Siete artistas viviendo en Bogotá
Essay

Seven Performers Living in Bogotá / Siete artistas viviendo en Bogotá

Actions and Reflections to Cope with the “New Normal” / Acciones y Reflexiones para Afrontar la "Nueva Normalidad"

1 December 2020

Michelle Yemayá notes that while Colombian theatre artists have found ways to face the unexpected changes this year, artists are still struggling to stay afloat. She talks about how she has adapted her practice under the circumstances and shares the stories of three other artists living and working as artists in Colombia right now. / Michelle Yemayá ha notado que, si bien los artistas del teatro colombiano han encontrado formas de enfrentar los cambios inesperados de este año, la lucha por mantenerse a flote es constante. Habla sobre cómo ha adaptado su práctica a las circunstancias y comparte las historias de otras tres personas que en este momento viven y trabajan como artistas en Colombia.

Event poster for Aurea Porta’s 12th ERA SCHAEFFERA.
Aurea Porta’s 12th Schaeffera's Era, The Boguslaw Schaeffer Livestream Project
Video

Aurea Porta’s 12th Schaeffera's Era, The Boguslaw Schaeffer Livestream Project

A Simultaneous Warsaw-Los Angeles Theatre Performance Event

Monday 23 November 2020
Warsaw, Poland and Los Angeles, United States

Ghost Road Company (Los Angeles) and Warsaw Bauhaus Foundation (Warsaw) presented an international real-time collaboration: original works of dance, theatre and film, created to respond to the work of maverick Polish composer and playwright Boguslaw Schaeffer at 12 p.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 3 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 20:00 GMT (London, UTC +0) / 21:00 CET (Warsaw, UTC +1).

Being Apart, Being Together
Video

Being Apart, Being Together

A conversation on how collectives have been devising new grassroots engagement strategies during this time of remote connection

Friday 20 November 2020
United States

CultureHub LA presented the conversation Being Apart, Being Together livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 20 November 2020 at 5 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 7 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 8 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

Mute Swan
Video

Mute Swan

Experiments in Digital Storytelling

Monday 16 November 2020
United States

CultureHub and La MaMa presented a performance of Mute Swan livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 16 November at 4 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 6 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) AND AT 6 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 8 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 9 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

The Necessity of Pivoting
Essay

The Necessity of Pivoting

Interviews on the Future of our Field

16 November 2020

Janice Rabian shares the discoveries she made during her summer research project about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the theatre field and how leaders are pivoting after the murder of George Floyd.

photo of half-closed laptop with screen lit up
unmuted
Video

unmuted

Exploring themes of (dis)connection to our ancestry, to this moment, and to each other

Sunday 1 November 2020
United States

Honest Accomplice Theatre presented a performance of unmuted livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 1 November 2020 at 4 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 6 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

blue background with yellow culturecapital:online text
culturecapital:online LUKE REECE vs DANI FECKO
Video

culturecapital:online LUKE REECE vs DANI FECKO

Two players compete online for sweet art money in culturecapital, the arts economy trading card game

Tuesday 27 October 2020
Canada

The fourth round of culturecapital:online LUKE REECE vs DANI FECKO livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 27 October 2020 at 6 p.m. PDT (Vancouver, UTC-7) / 8 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 9 p.m. EDT (Toronto, UTC-4) / Thursday 21 May 10:00 KST (Seoul, UTC+9) / 13:00 NZST (Auckland, UTC+12).

man looking out over body of water
A Performance to Camera: Lavender Man
Video

A Performance to Camera: Lavender Man

An online conversation between two artists Tania El Khoury and Mohamad Ali “Dali” Agrebi

Saturday 24 October 2020
United Kingdom

performingbordersLIVE20 and Live Art Development Agency presented Lavender Man, a performance to camera, livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 24 October 2020 at 1:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 6:30 p.m. BST (London, UTC+1) / 19:30 CEST (UTC+2).

digital image of woman's face in blue
Downtown Variety: Take 15
Video

Downtown Variety: Take 15

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

Friday 23 October 2020
New York City

La MaMa and CultureHub presented Downtown Variety: Take 15 livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 23 October 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).

child drawing on a wall
RE:seeding, in correspondence Performance to Camera by Jade Montserrat
Video

RE:seeding, in correspondence Performance to Camera by Jade Montserrat

A new performance to camera suggesting that there is a connection between ourselves and the earth

Friday 23 October 2020
London, United Kingdom

performingbordersLIVE20 and Live Art Development Agency presented a performance of RE:seeding, in correspondence Performance to Camera by Jade Montserrat livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 23 October 2020 at 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 7 p.m. BST (London, UTC+1) / 20:00 CEST (UTC+2).

Cuban woman with headphones talking in a video conference.
How to Produce a Livestream Event, Part 2
Essay

How to Produce a Livestream Event, Part 2

A Beginner’s Guide to Using the Commons-based OBS Studio Live Broadcast Software

14 October 2020

HowlRound’s cultural strategist, Vijay Mathew, offers a part two to his guide on how to produce a livestream, this time focusing on the commons-based OBS Studio.

digital rendering of city street with white text PERFORMANCE XR 2020
Performance and XR 2020 (PXR2020) Symposium
Video

Performance and XR 2020 (PXR2020) Symposium

A Virtual Reality Symposium for Canadian artists and XR technologists, exploring creation and performance in XR

Friday 2 October to Saturday 10 October
Canada

Toasterlab presented the symposium Performance and XR 2020 (PXR2020) livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Friday 2 October to Saturday 10 October 2020.

zoom video chat of four people
Devised Experiments in Breaking Zoom
Essay

Devised Experiments in Breaking Zoom

6 October 2020

Carrie Klewin Lawrence and Amy Clare Tasker have a conversation about devising online, if that’s considered “theatre” or not, audience participation, and more.

blue background with yellow culturecapital:online text
culturecapital:online JENNA RODGERS vs MADDIE BAUTISTA
Video

culturecapital:online JENNA RODGERS vs MADDIE BAUTISTA

Two players compete online for sweet art money in culturecapital, the arts economy trading card game

Wednesday 30 September 2020
Canada

The third round of culturecapital:online JENNA RODGERS vs MADDIE BAUTISTA livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 30 September 2020 at 6 p.m. PDT (Vancouver, UTC-7) / 8 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 9 p.m. EDT (Toronto, UTC-4) / Thursday 21 May 10:00 KST (Seoul, UTC+9) / 13:00 NZST (Auckland, UTC+12).

screenshot of two tweets
Theatre of the Mind
Essay

Theatre of the Mind

A Dramaturgical Perspective on Tabletop Role-Playing Games

29 September 2020

Todd Brian Backus, Percival Hornak and Nicholas Orvis—three dramaturgs and gamers—talk about what theatremakers can learn from the collaborative storytelling techniques employed in tabletop role-playing games.

zoom video chat
Breaking New Post-dramatic Ground
Essay

Breaking New Post-dramatic Ground

Wesleyan University’s The Method Gun

28 September 2020

Jean Tarbox discusses Wesleyan University’s Zoom adaptation of The Method Gun as a radical invention that invited audiences to see and interpret reality on a deeper, more perceptual basis.

youtube screenshot
Finish the Fight and Making the Virtual Visceral
Essay

Finish the Fight and Making the Virtual Visceral

24 September 2020

Rebecca Salzhauer writes about Finish the Fight, a piece of online theatre that reminds viewers how theatre is a communion, a two-sided contract between storyteller and story-hearer, bound by the terms of being alive.

artists onstage under green light
A Performance of Re-Re-Generation
Video

A Performance of Re-Re-Generation

Re-imagining performances originally created for Re-Fest 2020, CultureHub’s annual festival that brings together artists, technologists, and activists

Saturday 19 September 2020
Los Angeles, California

CultureHub LA presented a performance Re-Re-Generation livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 19 September 2020 at 7 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 9 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 10 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

portrait of artist in pink and yellow
Downtown Variety: Take 14
Video

Downtown Variety: Take 14

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

Friday 18 September 2020
New York City

La MaMa and CultureHub presented Downtown Variety: Take 14 livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 18 September 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).