As everyday life here has come to a grinding halt, many theaters have moved to offer live and archived performances online, free of charge, creating something like an ad hoc Netflix for German theater.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Online, the Show Goes On. But It’s Just Not the Same.
As everyday life here has come to a grinding halt, many theaters have moved to offer live and archived performances online, free of charge, creating something like an ad hoc Netflix for German theater.
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While it is so encouraging and inspiring that so many arts organizations and theatres have made the transition online, it is not the same. I agree, that it is so important for people from all walks of life to stay "intellectually curious and artistically engaged", however, there is an incredibly unique experience about sitting in the audience witnessing theatre live in front of you that is different than through a screen. This article addresses this idea, discussing the importance of the proximity of the performer to the spectator, and the fact that this performance will never be repeated exactly the same way which is simply not portrayed through a recording that you can access whenever you feel like it, and go back to several times. While I love to see the artwork is given to a larger audience during this time, I hope that the importance of going to see live theatre is not forgotten.
This was a conversation that was beginning to be had before the pandemic because of the integration of technology into theatre, and is something that is more relevant and has even more weight now that coronavirus has taken a hold of the world. A big part of why theatre is so impactful, and why streaming does not have the same effect is because of the sense of community that comes along with live theatre. There is a strong feeling of group energy and engagement when you are actually in a theatre versus when you are watching a streaming from home. Yes, I understand that we should continue to use this outlet to keep the spirit of theatre alive, but I think it is still a super different experience, and we should still remember the importance of seeing live theatre. I know after this is over, we are going to see some struggles getting people to want to be in close proximity with other people in live theatre, but it is important that we can get back to a point where we can still enjoy the live and engaging nature of how theatre really should be.
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