Dance Magazine: It's 9:30 pm on a Thursday night in November; my eyes close as I hear the familiar, haunting notes of the closing music for Then She Fell. Music I've heard thousands of times before. Eerie, swelling strings that have signaled the beginning of a dinner break with fellow castmates, or the end of a long night. In this particular moment, on this particular evening, my mind begins to unwittingly sift through memories like yellowed papers in an old filing cabinet, the ink smeared just barely, the pages crumbled in a perfectly satisfying and familiar way. I have been here countless times before and yet this time is remarkably different.
4 comments:
Wow, as someone who's had max 10 performance nights of any show I've worked on I can't imagine the feeling of loss you would feel to close after 4,444 performances and not get the opportunity to truly feel closure for it. For performers or crew that may have worked on the show for its entire 7 and a half year run that must have come as a disappointing and hard blow to know something you've dedicated yourself to for so long is just over. But the emotions put into this article are beautiful and a testament to the types of people that thrive off immersive theatre. The three concluding paragraphs were very moving as they showed Covid not as an intrusive and irritating pause to everything we have been used to and expect from an average day but an opportunity to see and experience the world in a new light. It still shows the hope that we will return to that pre-covid ability to connect with others but it doesn't discount the time we spent in this state as wasted.
This is a refreshing, anti-capitalist take on what the future of theatre might look like. So much of what the entertainment industry has been trying to do with the pandemic is to find a theatre alternative. I think the pandemic has been eye-opening to how burnt out many people are with realizing it because of the “show-must-go-on” lifestyle we have all been living. The arts have been prioritizing the product over the people for a very long time, and I think that one important aspect to consider is extending the timelines for productions. More time would allow more less stress, for more more complicated construction, and for more sustainable practices. Extending timelines also makes me think of some of the topics we discussed in the green theatre project. More time allows for materials to be delivered by a method that creates less emissions and allows for the purchasing of materials that might have a longer lead time, but are more environmentally friendly. I am also a culprit of the non-stop-work lifestyle – I tend to want to do even more crew to cope with stress – but that's not sustainable long term, and has genuinely made me dislike how we do things. It’s time to nix the non-stop-work theatrical norm.
The concept of “immersive” theatre, or “immersive” art in general is pretty vague. But from the vague nature of the word, immersive art and theatre is very much so up my alley… which can prove to be a concern considering the current state of the industry due to the pandemic. Still, like a comment before me, I have to agree. I couldn’t imagine the feeling of having a consistent show run for SO long and then just be suddenly closed due to the pandemic. With no closure, mind you. I totally get this article’s concern with immersive theatre becoming obsolete. If people can’t comfortably sit in a venue with other people, how are people supposed to feel comfortable interacting with the art? This is a legitimate concern!
I largely agree with the article. To me, the most immersive theatre is the kind that takes place with actors and an audience in the same place. I can't really cite any piece of digital theater where I have truly been transported from my bedroom. This is not to say that I don’t appreciate the increased accessibility and versatility of digital works, I just think the one this it might never be is “immersive.”
I think immersive theatre is never going to be the same. I just can't imagine the closeness and intimacy of some productions I've seen translating in the post COVID era. I wonder how long COVID consideration will play a role in decision making on production teams. It’s going to be a curve of growing to feel comfortable once again in a theatre, period. But immersive theatre in which actors and an audience and in close proximity is a huge jump.
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