11.04.2020
Theaters, not being able to sell tickets for performances, are organizing live broadcasts. This is a great chance to get acquainted with the current repertoire without leaving home.
Dr. Galina Shmatova, Associate Professor of the Department of History and Theory of Culture, Faculty of Culturology, spoke on the current online state of the theater world.
“The situation of self-isolation is extremely difficult for theaters and theatergoers, let’s face it. Is it even possible to really record a performance on video? After all, a theatrical performance is always an unpredictable event, a meeting of actors and spectators who influence each other. This is not a text that could be saved on hard drive. One of the key concepts here is presence. It is not amenable to media mediation.
It’s almost impossible to get an experience that is completely equivalent to a theatrical one when watching a broadcast. And yet it is very valuable and important that theaters share their digital archives. We can see performances from other cities and countries, as well as works that can no longer be seen live.
One example would be Pyotr Fomenko’s “Three Sisters”, which is no longer in theater. In it, one of the largest Russian directors of our time, interprets Chekhov, while holding a dialogue with the history of the theater, especially with the legendary performance directed by Nemirovich-Danchenko at the MKHAT. The close-ups allow the viewer to closely follow the minutiae of acting. The subtlety with which the actors work does deserve close-ups, although even with their help it is impossible to solve the riddle of the theatrical charm.
In addition, the more accessible online format makes it possible to try out new things. If you have never been to experimental productions, probably now is the time to try.
“Max Black”, staged by Heiner Goebbels, one of the leading European directors, is a production in which there is no usual linear plot, consisting of setup, climax and denouement. This is a performance that appeals to the viewer's ability to think, to “collect” one’s own theatrical history, to give freedom to one’s own associations. Perhaps, having seen this on video, you will want to come and get a full-fledged experience of this kind in the theater.
Who knows, maybe online broadcasts will attract to live theater those viewers who have so far preferred only contemporary art galleries or cinema festivals? The modern theater has a lot to offer in this regard.
And in conclusion let me present two more thoughts about the theater and the new media. Firstly, the modern theater has long been friends with the digital environment, new technologies and even social networks. For several decades, there have been performances via Skype, instant messengers, mobile phone applications, etc. So do not think that the theater is just chandeliers and velvet chairs. I am glad that among the students of the Faculty of Culturology there are those who plan to defend graduation projects on theater and media this year. I hope that in the future there will be more theses of this sort, because this topic is extremely relevant!
And secondly, theaters today not only upload their plays, but also conduct special events, home readings and performances, go live on their sites and accounts on social networks. It’s interesting to follow these new creative formats, in which theater is trying to maintain contact with the audience!”