A New View of the Theatre
A NEW VIEW OF THEATRE
I, along with several others, was standing in the hallway of a rather old building, one built almost a hundred years ago, waiting for the doors of the theatre to open. It was about 7:45 and the "curtain" was scheduled to go up at 8:00. Although this performance venue has never had or used a "curtain", we find it convenient to still use this expression. A member of the house management staff informed us that a minor technical problem needed to be resolved which caused a slight delay getting the house open. She apologized for the delay and began the process of letting us into the theatre space where we found our seats located on portable seating units that had been arranged in a specific configuration for this production. The theatre space was formerly a large classroom in which classes, typically in a lecture format, were taught to about 80 college students at a time. The "classroom" had been altered over the years to serve as a laboratory for performances and was equipped with a range of digital audio and visual capabilities and connected to the Ethernet with fiber optics. Computer controlled lighting consoles and theatrical lighting fixtures were included as part of the stock supply of production tools for this space.
In the audience, in addition to those from the campus community, were people from Alaska, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Austria. Unlike those of us who were physically present at this theatrical event, these "on-line" members of the audience were there because they chose to down-load a free program from the Internet that allowed them to connect with computers in this performance space. This connection allowed them to see and hear the performance and allowed us to see them as members of the audience via their images on the television monitors and computer screens located in the performance space. They, like we seated in the room, awaited the start of the presentation. As is usual when one sits with friends and colleagues in a theatre prior to the performance, some level of conversation helps fill the waiting time. As we chatted to each other in the room, similar conversations were occurring between the director of the production, seated at a computer at one end of the room, and the "on-line" members of the audience. These interactive e-mail and audio chats included conversations about the time difference between Austria and the location of the event, discussions about new technologies and equipment, and the clarity of the audio and visual images being transmitted.
Although one or two announcements had been posted on a notice board in this old building, the marketing campaign for this production was built around a site on the World Wide Web. Both the physical and "virtual" members of this audience knew about this event because they got the information of time, dates, and place as well as a description of the piece, "off the web". A piece of the video used in the production was also available and provided those who chose to watch it, a good idea about what the presentation would be like.
As the performance began, we noticed other computer monitors and video cameras were located in various parts of the performance space. The opening scene of the performance, projected on a large screen by a video projector, set the locale of the piece as we toured a small community and were introduced to various buildings and specific rooms in them. The video room on the screen faded as the same "real" room appeared in front of us. Much of the action took place in this part of the performance space and actions and memories as well as emotional images were projected around the audience. Some of these visual images were computer generated as were all of the audio elements used in the performance. At times, we were looking at video images of the action as it occurred in front of us. The "on-line" audience members were hearing and seeing all of the same things we were experiencing in the theatre. We, however, had an additional element to observe. We could see the "on-line" members of the audience watching and reacting to what was occurring in this space.
The "on-line" audience was able to do something we in the theatre could not do without violating an accepted level of theatre etiquette. They could eat and drink during the performance and make comments about what they were experiencing. Some waited until after the performance, when a talk-back session was scheduled, while others communicated via e-mail during the performance.
This new form of theatrical expression allowed some members of the audience the opportunity to become interactive participants in the event in a way that was very different from the way I was interacting with the events in the theatre. This redefinition and understanding of audience/performer relationship was there for me to experience during the next performance as I sat at home in front of my computer and became an "on-line" audience member. It was an experience different from watching television in that I had the capability to become an active participant in the event rather than just a receptor of a one-way communication process. No longer is the size of the potential audience limited by the number of seats in the theatre. Indeed, the size of the audience is, virtually, unlimited in number and available to anyone with access to a computer. We are still attempting to define and explain the various aesthetic levels of this form of theatre. As a matter of fact, we are still attempting to define and describe what we mean by the term "theatrical moment" as it applies to events in this performance venue.
A few months ago, I was in this same performance space attending an interactive cyber concert which featured an "old time" music ensemble. This cyber concert on the Internet allowed "on-line" members of the audience to comment on and even request specific music while some of us in the "real audience" danced to the energetic and strong rhythms of the music. Others were content to sit and enjoy the music.
Both of these performances happened during the 1996-97 academic year and were projects of a second year graduate student at Virginia Tech. All video and computer equipment used in these productions was readily available on the campus and the total production budget was about $50. Lessons learned from these projects have laid the ground work for a project that included the performance of a Medieval Mystery play at a cathedral in England with a potential audience of anyone with the capabilities of getting on the World Wide Web.
Theatre historians have long noted the most significant change in the practice of theatre occurred when the theatre moved to an indoor space. It is exciting to imagine what the impact on theatre will be now that it has moved to cyber space.
Clearly, new technologies and means of creating artistic communication will require a new understanding and expanded definition of the art, practice, and aesthetics of theatre. What an exciting and stimulating challenge!
Presented "live" by Donald A. Drapeau, Head, Department of Theatre Arts on August 4, 1997 at Elmhurst College as part of the TLA pre-conference ATHE Conference titled "Ensuring Your Future".