Teatrul online nu s-a inventat în pandemie

Abstract

Theatre dependent on proximal audiences has become difficult or utterly impossible during the pandemic, whereas performances that take place exclusively online are now common. Instead of sparking actual innovations, the COVID-19 crisis has brought to the fore experimental artistic practices that were largely marginal until recently. This article contextualises online theatre nationally and internationally with reference to the diverse morphology of telematic art and to some of the artists who have contributed to its development since the 1960s. The much-debated concept of ”liveness” resurfaces as a way of distinguishing between performance that uses the Internet solely as a distribution and consumption medium and telematic art, which integrates it structurally. While the ”force majeure” strand of online performance is a form of creative resilience, the artistic incorporation of telecommunications goes beyond practical necessity. Mainstream theatre, currently brought to its limit, can learn from the history of experimental theatre and thus enlarge its means of expression, its rehearsal methods and its understanding of ”presence”.