Can Live Theatre on Zoom Fill the Void Left by Theatres Being Dark Until 2021?

By Van Dirk Fisher

When I heard that there was a pandemic due to COVID 19 and we had to shelter in place, I felt like ok, I can do that.  I can stay at home.  But then I thought about all the other things I love to do like go to the movies and go see a play in a theatre.  What was I going to do?  Especially since I run a theatre company.  That was a double whammy.  We were supposed to open the Riant Theatre’s JOCUNDA MUSIC, FILM & THEATRE FESTIVAL in April. 

 

Now it had to be postponed indefinitely, because we didn’t know when the ban would be lifted for large gatherings.  So how do we keep theatre alive in the meantime?  Well, I had been attending meetings on Zoom talking to other business owners and we were all thinking about how can we think outside the box and keep our businesses alive?  

My first thought was we have some terrific plays that have been accepted into the festival.  Why don’t I approach the playwrights and see if they wouldn’t mind doing a play reading of their play virtually?  And they jumped at the opportunity.  Because they wanted to keep busy doing the thing that they love, which is theatre.  Slowly, but surely, from attending meetings on Zoom, I learned some of the wonderful things you can do on it. Like add Virtual Backgrounds, which for us theater directors, gives us the opportunity to create sets for the different scenes in a play.

STEVE SHERMAN as Han Van Meegeren in FORGER by Simon Bowler

Each Play Reading we did we added some new element that we had learned.  The main thing was our audiences on Zoom were amazed by the experience.  They said that they didn’t know what to expect, but they were engaged by the performance on Zoom.  They actually loved it and said it was like watching a movie! 

SAMAR EL-ZEIN as Inspector Helena Woonig in FORGER

“A movie?!!!” I thought to myself, let’s see what else we can do.  So, I started adding blocking and asking the actors to wear costumes.  

 

CHRIS SCARSBOROUGH as Abraham Bredius in FORGER

From day one, I wanted our Play Reading Series on Zoom to be an amazing experience.  I didn’t want it to be just like a Play Reading in a theatre.  I wanted it to be an event!  I invited our guest to come to our party. 

I suggested they have their drinks and favorite desserts or munchies on hand, because we didn’t want them to miss a thing. 

And another great thing about the JOCUNDA Play Reading Series on Zoom is that after the Play Reading we bring the entire audience into the room and they can turn on their videos so we can see their faces and we have a TALK BACK where they can discuss the play and ask the artists questions. 

But more importantly they get to connect with people.  That’s the most important thing!  As human beings we need that connection.  It’s part of our DNA.  And this experience allows people to meet people from all over the world and even make some new friends and connections along the way.  Sometimes these connections lead to collaborations on other projects.  It always warms my heart to see so many smiling faces at our TALK BACKS.  People have always been so appreciative of the experience and enjoy having something to do that for an hour or two, allows them to forget about any problems or worries they may have about our current situation and just enjoy the show!

At the end of the day isn’t that what we all want to do?  Do something in our lives that brings us joy!  Well I hope you join us at our next Play Reading on Zoom.  We do it every Sunday at 8PM EST New York time (U.S. and Canada). Click here to Register for our next Play Reading.

Van Dirk Fisher is the founder and artistic director of the Riant Theatre in NYC, and the producer of the acclaimed Strawberry One-Act Festival and the JOCUNDA MUSIC, FILM & THEATRE FESTIVAL.  You can register for his Online Playwriting Classes on Zoom by clicking here.  RiantTheatre@gmail.com

The Riant Theatre’s mission is to provide a nurturing environment to develop new plays and outstanding artists, while providing an opportunity for them to network, meet producers and investors and collaborate on other projects.  You can make a difference and help us keep theatre alive by making a donation by clickinghere.