Exeunt Magazine: Between livestreams, Zoom meetings and newsfeeds, lockdown is a time where you can rack up horrifying screentime stats without even noticing. Give your eyes a rest with some of these theatre-related books. Exeunt writers have scoured their shelves to dig out the hefty volumes that they’ve finally got time to tackle – or the papery old friends that they’re returning to for comfort and inspiration.
13 comments:
The amount of headaches I get a day because of this increase in screentime is quite alarming. I’ve tried to do some activities that don’t require a computer like doing puzzles or painting - but even though I do have some books sitting on my desk I haven’t gotten a chance to read them yet. I had never heard of any of the works this article recommended and I will be honest none of them really piqued my interest. This is not to say that you won’t be inspired by one of these titles. However, reading this article made me want to make a plan to read a couple more books in my off time. My heart wants to re-read the Percy Jackson series - so that might just be what I have to do. I also have a copy of Good Omens sitting on my desk that has never been open, so maybe this is just the chance I need to pretend I like to read again.
The world seems to be rediscovering reading as a way to pass the time and be transported to another world while we ride out the current crisis. My reading list has been slowly expanding as I encounter more resources and find more interests, and it recently exploded when I went to New York City over spring break- I took a picture of every book that interested me in Strand & McNally Jackson and the list of those titles took up 2 pages in my notebook. I’ve been trying my best to take a break from screens, as all of my “screen break” classes have now transitioned online, and all my lectures come through recordings, but the catch-22 of that is that I’m used to getting ebooks through my local library system & then downloading them onto my Kindle, which is, in fact, a screen. But we do what we can with what we have, and I’m glad for the extra time to read.
These past few weeks, I have spent more time in front of my computer screen, than I think I have ever had to. Finding time to be away from any sort of screen has been something that has been essential to me keeping my sanity during this time, and I have found that spending time reading has been a nice breath of fresh air to get away from phones, computers, etc. I think this is a really awesome way to encourage downtime, connect with others and spend time away from devices. I have not heard of most of the plays on this list, and I am feeling very inspired to read some of them! This is also a really great way to connect to the theatre, which we were all so surrounded by every day, while at home. (I also really appreciate the note at the end of this list, discouraging people from purchasing on Amazon, amongst the recent strikes regarding the lack of virus protection. Now more than ever it is so important to shop local!)
This was a nice article to read, it is refreshing to hear about some of the more positive things coming out of this lockdown like people sharing books. Most thinks I see are about how you can watch something or be involved in something online so it nice that people are sharing book recommendations so people can take a break from looking at screens all day. I think reading books is one of the best things people can do right now because it isn’t looking at a screen so people will be helping their eyes. Also, I think a major problem right now is that people are bored because there is nothing to do. Well reading a book generally takes a long time so reading a book is a good use of all the time that people have. Some of these books seem really interesting and I would be interested in reading, but I have found that this lockdown has me reading a lot more plays and I am really enjoying that.
This was a sweet article that I would normally not have the time to read. I barely had the time to read books for please, let alone reviews of them. Now I have more of that. I have recently joined a book club since going into quarantine, and went out of my way to get the read of the month in paper form. I'm trying to avoid screens more and more, as I spend at least 10 hours a day with them, between class and homework and the news. Not to mention, I have always loved the feel of an actual book in my hands. This article also reminded me that I do actually own books about theatre that I never opened because I usually had the actual art in front of me. Maybe now I can think more about the theory and history behind it. I hope it can allow me to be more thoughtful about it when I return.
Since I've been at college I've been lightly horrified in my inability to make time to read for pleasure. It's not that I don't have time, it's more that I don't make time. When you have so little free time it's almost hard to want to dedicate it to something that takes time to see a reward. We crave that ease of passive watching out a window or tv. Reading involves engaging your brain and at the end of a long day, week, month, or year it can feel hard to want to do that. Since social distancing has begun I've been reading more but not to the degree that I wish I could return to. This article gave me quite a few interesting suggestions to add to my long list of things I would like to read in future. The amount of time I spend on technology while better than some is still staggering when compared to previous years. I've always thought that reading is important but during this time of isolation and mainly staying cloistered indoors transformative stories and escapism through reading are very welcome.
Like other commenters have mentioned, my screen time in the last few weeks has escalated greatly even past points when I was a gamer in middle school. I have found however that in trying to read books to balance out that time, I cannot bring myself to read books about theater or art in any way. Before spring break, a friend gave me a copy of the book "Art and Fear" to read, and it has really interesting discussions of how artists function and establish themselves in such a daunting industry. And while I was moving through it quickly before the transition to online education, now it just feels like more homework. It is crazy how being at home and doing my regular school work feels like my life is being taken over by theater even more than when I was at school. However, these books look really interesting, and I will definitely add them to my reading list for when I can finally be invested in theater again.
This article made me really happy. Reading has always been something that makes me happy and calms me down. Even though I've been feeling extremely stressed due to working from home, reading, as always, has been a huge oasis for me. I also have been looking into and reading works written while authors were in quarantine or during pandemics. I think it's really inspiring to remember the art that has been and can be created during a difficult time. I think remembering that other people have gone through similar events and have come out on the other side is really helpful. I think it's really great for us to be rediscovering the joys of reading, whether you were always reading at a high rate or were becoming distracted by screens. Though I wouldn't recommend going out to Barnes & Noble to get a new book, it's a really great time to reread some favorites like I've been doing.
The sheer amount of books piling up in my to be read list is starting to get me down. I was hoping during this quarantine that I would be able to knock a couple of them off the list, but currently that does not seem to be the case. The sheer amount of time I spend per day looking at the screen and sitting on my ass is absolutely mortifying. Between online classes, web surfing for leisure, and video games, I spend way the hell too much time straining and killing my eyes. It is just so much easier to put something on and zone out than to read nowadays and it really is bothering how much my productivity has plummeted. Not to mention not being able to go out with people is putting a damper on my spirit too. Hopefully I can slowly build more structure in my quarantined life and become more motivated to read for pleasure.
I’ve seen all these articles on how theatre and museums are getting shut down, along with everything else in the world, it makes me really sad to see how the world is forced to move everything online, or at least as far away from humanity as possible. It’s crazy to think how the world can change so quickly and how one thing so majorly affects the next thing and the next. Because I go to a theatre school, we are dealing with production moving online and how to deal with the loss of a real like performance while still maintaining the same integrity of the text and story and awarding the hard work put into the process. A virtual theatre book group sounds like something I’d definitely want to join and something that would relax me. As soon as I read the title, I was interested in how this would work.
In this time when full workdays are being spent looking at a screen, people seem more motivated than ever (and rightfully so) to step away from electronics. All types of “lo-fi” forms of entertainment seem to be all the rage again: puzzles, board games, books. I have seen calls all over Facebook and Instagram to start or join theatre-related reading sessions (be they scripts or texts on the art or the practise of the making of live entertainment). I, myself, am involved in a book club of sorts with friends and colleagues from a museum that I worked at (obviously not theatre-related, but still). I have also been taking scheduled breaks in my day to go outside and just sit. There is a hill literally right across the street from my house that I will walk over to, blanket in hand, and just lay on for five or ten minutes (staying far away from anyone I see … promise). It’s amazing how much of an impact that not being tethered to a screen and so constantly connected to the world had on my mental and physical well-being. I think that, for me, reading and yoga have become not only no-tech zones (which are very much appreciated) but also a means of escape.
I have loved seeing all these little book clubs and theatre clubs coming about in light of the coronavirus. I think that it is important for theatre makers to continue doing what they leave, even though we cant be at the theatre in person. When I was on campus, I was able to take advantage of the library and read a new play every week. Near the end I slipped up a bit but it was something that kept me sane when the work was becoming a lot. I think that it is so important to read plays if that's something that you like to do because it is a great way to become more familiar with shows you might've not heard of otherwise. I think being away from the CMU library has hindered my ability to read plays, but I think joining one of these groups might help me to get back into it.
This is a fabulous idea, and I'd love to see more people recommending reading. I hate the idea that we need to be super productive during this time, but I also hate the fact that we have to constantly stare at our screen for lectures, homework, and even entertainment. Well, the entertainment doesn't need to come from the screen. (By the way, I am literally writing this with a raging migraine because of all of this screen staring.) I think a lot of people have forgotten the fact that... READING exists! If you don't feel up to picking up a new hobby or mastering some new skill or reorganizing your house or whatever people are recommending and telling everyone we should do, find some simple joy in reading! This is a great chance to pick it back up. I've been excited to get back into it, considering I had just started getting into it last summer and have had considerably less time over the school year to read what I've wanted to. And despite my want to stay productive, I haven't been able to. I think that reading plays will be a great way to entertain myself but also feel productive, considering it pertains to the industry.
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