Digital Shifts in Contemporary Theatre: Intermediality, Immersion, and Institutional Transformation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37130/0bw35p89Keywords:
digital theatre, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), intermediality, participatory performance, cultural management, Romanian theatre, digital transformation, TabThePAST; TabThePAST.IMMERSEDAbstract
This article examines the impact of digital technologies on contemporary theatre, exploring how augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), artificial intelligence (AI), intermedial performance, and participatory formats are reshaping theatrical creation, aesthetics, and institutional practices. Building on a semi-systematic literature review complemented by reflective insights from the European project TabThePAST, the study traces the intersections between digital innovation, cultural policy, and artistic experimentation. By situating recent technological developments within a historical continuum of theatrical adaptation, the article argues that digital theatre represents not a rupture but an extension of theatre’s enduring dialogue with technology. Through comparative analysis and case studies from both Western and Eastern Europe – particularly the Romanian context – the research highlights the dual dynamics of resilience and vulnerability that characterize the digital turn in performing arts. While technological integration opens new avenues for creativity, participation, and sustainability, it also raises critical challenges related to aesthetic homogenization, ethical authorship, accessibility, and institutional inertia. The findings advocate for a holistic approach to digital transformation – one grounded in ethics, education, and collaboration – to ensure that innovation strengthens rather than compromises theatre’s live, human essence. Beyond mapping current transformations, this article contributes to ongoing debates on the ethics and sustainability of digital theatre practices in both institutional and independent contexts.
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