If You Live-Stream It, Will They Watch?

AMERICAN THEATRE: Over the course of the pandemic closures, the Cherry Arts, home to the Cherry Artists’ Collective in Ithaca, N.Y., did what many theatres across the country did to continue making their art: They split their season between outdoor and streamed shows. Earlier this year, the company staged and streamed Alejandro Ricaño’s Hotel Good Luck (translated by Jacqueline Bixler). This wasn’t an edited-down rendition of the play, recorded in front of a live audience, but a production patrons could only live-stream. According to Cherry artistic director Samuel Buggeln (he/him), doing it live, with a specific date and time to be watched, made the collective realize that producing their art this way felt true to their work as theatremakers. By keeping it live, they found they were able to capture the feeling of urgency and immediacy that accompanies a performance happening now.