Virtual Theater: What is it? How did it come to be the only game in town? This article is about my experiences with this evolving medium.
The term Virtual Theater is one I use to classify theater that can be seen through streaming or recorded sources. In my case, I do viewing through the internet and on my smart television.
How I Began to Explore Virtual Theater
I’m a very active theater goer. As a reviewer and writer, I probably average at least one visit a week to live theater and more when certain seasons are in full swing. My last visit was on March 7th at the George Street Playhouse to see Conscious written by Joe DiPietro. I enjoyed the show and spoke with some other people who attended. We all felt good about coming out that Saturday afternoon and not letting the incoming concerns about Covid19 hold us back. But little did we realize we were just days away from major changes that would sweep into our lives and change that concern to reality.
Just three days later I was teaching my Tuesday night Public Speaking class. At the break, I noticed my email Inbox had started to fill up. As I glanced inside, I saw notifications from schools in the area announcing their moves to distance learning. Two days later, the big one for the theater community hit: Broadway shut down all show starting at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 12. Some of the Off-Broadway and Regional Theaters tried to hold on. But within a few days, they, too, were closed down.
As this is being written, there are no definite dates when theater will reopen. So if you love theater like I do, you try to adapt by exploring this new world of online, virtual theater. Some have been a nice revelation and caused me to wonder if a new art form might come out of this time period. In this article, I want to highlight four of the experiences I have found to be most enjoyable so far.
The Shows Must Go On web series featuring Andrew Lloyd Webber
The You Tube Channel called The Shows Must Go On is featuring full-length performances of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows. Each week, a new production launches on Friday at 7 p.m. BST (2 p.m. EST) and is available for 48 hours.
So far there have been 4 productions shown: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, and most recently, Love Never Dies.
This week’s feature is Andrew Lloyd Webber — The Royal Albert Hall Celebration. This production is the 1998 concert event which was a musical tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber in celebration of his 50th birthday. It features music from all of his major musicals including Cats, Sunset Boulevard, The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, and more. Many stars appear including Elaine Paige, Glenn Close, Sarah Brightman, Tina Arena, Antonio Banderas, Donny Osmond, and Michael Ball, among others.
Two that I watched are The Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies. Both were well filmed with phenomenal talent in each one. I’ve seen The Phantom in New York several times. Although I thought I had good seats each time, nothing compares to the way the film can give close ups that I will never get to see in the theater. I noticed things I had never looked at before. So when the time comes and theater reopens, I will return to the Majestic Theater to watch The Phantom of the Opera with a new understanding of the show.
Red Bull Theater’s Livestream Events
Red Bull Theater is one of the finest companies in New York City. This group launched the Livestream Events series on April 20th with a free presentation of John Ford’s classic play ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore.
It was a thrill to tune into this production and have a chance to see the entire cast from the original 2015 production do the reading. Cast members came onto a ZOOM platform from a myriad of locations to perform. And perform they did. The actors might not have been moving around on a stage, but their portrayals were so vivid that one could picture the play taking place right there at that moment.
Next up is Thomas Dekker, John Ford & William Rowley’s The Witch of Edmonton. This production will feature members of the cast of Red Bull’s acclaimed 2011 Off-Broadway production of the play. The event is Free via livestream on Monday, May 4th at 7:30pm at Red Bull Theater’s website at https://www.redbulltheater.com/live, on Facebook, and at VIMEO.
Create Theater’s Monday Night Live Readings
Create Theater presents live readings of new plays in development on Monday nights. This was my first experience with virtual media and it was such a good one that I have been back three times.
Create Theater is quite experienced with the ZOOM platform/virtual presentations in that it is a tool they have used for three years. During a recent interview with producer and director Cate Cammarata, this interesting information came out: “I’ve been working with writers over the Zoom platform exclusively for almost 3 years, so we always read back and forth while we’re working on a script.”
The group has a nice following of people who attend. Last Monday night’s reading of A Tomato Can’t Grow in the Bronx drew an audience of 98 people. After the reading is finished, people who watched the table reading are invited to share their thoughts about the production. These discussions are very enjoyable to be a part of and add to the experience of a new type of theater.
Next up on the Monday Night Reading Series is The Descent to Dali by Jack Feldsetin. Check Create Theater’s website for details.
24 Hour Plays
A well established tradition in theater, the 24 Hour Plays group assembles creative communities to produce plays and musicals that are written, rehearsed, and performed during a 24 hour period. Unable to assemble in person this year, The 24 Hour Plays presents the Viral Monologues all available on their Instagram site, @24hourplays.
This presentation of monologues has gone over so well that they are now in their 5th release. The beauty of these little presentations is that they remain available on the 24 Hour Play Instagram site so you can go over and listen to a few when you have some spare minutes in your day. The videos of the actors delivering the monologues are in their homes, outside, or even in their cars truly creating a lasting record of what we are experiencing during this pandemic. Times vary from 3 – 12 minutes with many in the 5 – 7 minute range.
Final Thoughts on Virtual Theater
So there you have four very unique applications on this new platform, Virtual Theater. Try one or more out and see how you feel about it.
Until we are back in the theaters and venues we love to sit in and watch performances take place live, we are fortunate to have this dedicated group of people working to fill in the gaps.