Online Theatre Development Collaborative: Recent Episodes
Neil Wechsler
Interviews with artists, educators, and companies that have explored online theatre. Useful tips about what we've learned in the digital space, and how we can apply those lessons to online performance, and for when we return to the stage. We have come to embrace the equity, accessibility, authenticity, and sense of community that online theatre promotes, and hope to build on those achievements. We look forward to hearing from you.
Joseph Sheridan and Caroline Reckers, students at Miami University, discuss the early stages of their theatre project that will incorporate FaceTime.
Ever wonder how online school relates to online theatre? My daughter and two of her friends talk about the similarities, and brainstorm how they would create an online three-person production of HAMILTON.
Austin Lamewona and Brooke Vespoli talk about their exciting new musical and how they’ve managed to collaborate remotely during the pandemic.
Glenn Stillar, a filmmaker and professor of Digital Arts Communication at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, talks about two of his "shortshort" films, GUBBINS and I'M A BIT CHILLY, and how "turning the camera outwards" might be a useful strategy for online theatre development. Links to the two films, each just over a minute: GUBBINS,https://vimeo.com/433031962; I'M A BIT CHILLY, https://vimeo.com/433031104.
NYC-based actor Monique Vukovic talks about her online experiences during the pandemic, and we brainstorm a new name and direction for the podcast!
Victoria Pérez, Artistic Director of Raíces Theatre Company, shares key insights into her current performance in the one-woman show, The Year of Magical Thinking, a digital production by the Irish Classical Theatre Company. She also talks about her online teaching this past year at Shea’s Performing Arts Center and the virtual staged reading of El Closet Mágico by Raíces Theatre Company. Victoria discusses the global reach of this virtual reading, and other enduring benefits that the online space can provide.
Actor Stacey Whitmire talks about her transition from NYC to L.A. during the pandemic, the differences between the two cities from an actor’s perspective, and some useful tips for online theatre.
John and Dion DiDonna of Phantasmagoria Orlando share their stories of how they shifted to live online performance during the pandemic. They talk about the connections they’ve formed with different audiences and the useful tips they’ve learned in creating for, and teaching in, the online space. (Photo of John and Dion by Chris Bridges.)
Ian Ball, Maïna Béland-Rahm, Zev Mair, Michaela Mar, and Michael Reinhart, core members of [elephants] collective, a Toronto-based experimental theatre/ performance collective, provide unique perspectives on online theatre. They talk about their current project, Telethon Telethon, and discuss how it raises key questions relevant to their artistic practice.
Evan Mitchell, a theatre arts teacher in North Carolina, talks about the phone-based theatre projects he and his students created during the pandemic.
Matteo Esposito, a Canadian playwright with autism, talks about his writing, and weighs in on the age-old question, Theatre vs. the Moon.
Dana Hall and Pamela Morgan talk about why they co-founded This Moment Productions, a virtual theatre production company. They tell us about the projects they've done, the lessons they've learned, and what they have in store.
Jason Jamerson talks about his exploration of 3D virtual environments and the project he’s been working on as Professor of Scenic Design at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Gaurav Singh, General Manager of Kaivalya Plays, a company based in New Delhi, India, talks about how the company adapted during the pandemic, and shares his insights into online theatre.
Ben Gougeon, Artistic Director of Davenport Junior Theatre, talks about his company’s virtual programs during the pandemic, and shares his observations on online theatre.
TJ Young and Toby Malone talk with Neil Wechsler about what theatre companies and schools can take away from this past year of online theatre.