The art of performance has fundamentally changed over the past year and a half. Though COVID-19 forced artists to reimagine theatrics through a digital lens, the essential, electric quality of performance has been missing since Broadway went dark in March 2020. As we return in the fall, performance is starting to spark back up in vibrant and innovative ways. Yet a glaring question remains: will theater reach its full brilliance, or will audience members and performers once again be left in the dark?
Connection drives performance, and during an era marked by physical isolation, it has been hard to replicate the joys of theatergoing through a digital screen. But the pivot to remote programming allowed dramatic artists to do what they do best: get creative. Theatermakers pushed ahead with innovative solutions to remedy the disconnectedness of our everyday lives. Robert Duffley, editor and assistant dramaturg of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) in Cambridge, says that the shift “encouraged us to keep finding new ways to expand the reach of the work that we’re doing.” By publishing content online rather than performing in person, the team at the A.R.T. grew their craft in exciting ways.
One program that gained popularity during the pandemic was “table work.” By setting up a dialogue between the cast and creative teams of a show, viewers and team members alike developed a deeper understanding of the script. Another virtual program hosted by the A.R.T. was a magic show called The Conjuror’s Club, which allowed viewers to experience magic up close. “[Digital performance] is a type of artistry that certainly grew a lot over the past year,” says Duffley, “and I think it’s going to remain part of artists’ palette in years going forward.”
Despite the impressive ways in which theater went online during the pandemic, performance is fundamentally unsuited for digital translation. Remember the unpredictability of live performance: seeing the actors’ movements unfold in real time, hearing the billowing sound of voices hitting the ceiling, and realizing the capacity for imperfection makes viewers feel uniquely connected to the performers. Not only do these qualities keep storylines fresh and exciting, they make this medium feel human and thus relatable to the audience.
Public Relations Director at the A.R.T. Rebecca Curtiss defines theater simply as “watching life,” which, as the pandemic has shown, can be both entirely unpredictable and shockingly beautiful. Nothing can be edited on stage; when done right, emotion is conveyed in a manner as stirring as it is in-person. “Every live performance is different,” Curtiss continues, “and that’s because of the dynamic with the audience. That electricity is hard to match when we’re watching through a screen.”
The intimacy between the audience, the performers, and their environment makes theater much more emotionally stirring than any film. The red velvet seats, the crooning of violins tuning in the orchestra pit, the pre-show chatter over playbills—all this sets the stage for the immersive theater experience that is to follow. Once the lights dim and the curtain goes up, a profound sense of interconnectedness between audience members personalizes viewer experience. For Angel Hoyang ’22, student performer and board member of the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club [HRDC], the most important element of connection to the audience is “breathing the same air —or kind of, through masks!—as the performers do.”
How will performance look this fall? Due to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s indoor mask advisory and the vulnerability of unvaccinated populations to the Delta variant, Harvard theatres will require masks this fall. “[HRDC] does not have access to our usual main big venues for COVID-19 reasons, but we do still have two wonderful theaters, the Loeb Ex and the Agassiz theater,” Hoyang says.
At the A.R.T., Curtiss reports that audiences will be returning to the theater at full capacity, and while masks will be required, the theater has no plans for social distancing. Arriving at this fall plan has been the result of a longstanding collaboration with the T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Healthy Buildings Program. Together with Dr. Joseph Allen, the A.R.T. developed the “Roadmap for Recovery and Resilience” publication, which kept audiences up to date with the science and recommendations for theater venues during the pandemic.
As for the performances coming this fall, the A.R.T. will be presenting Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic at the Loeb Drama Center starting on September 25th. Other events to look forward to this fall include Macbeth in Stride and a new rendition of the Tony Award-winning musical 1776. In addition to programming at the Loeb, the theater has worked with an extensive creative team to present The Arboretum Experience at Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum outside Boston. Starting on August 21st, this multi-media event will incorporate four different plays in audio form that take place in the arboretum and can be listened to as guests walk through the space, as well as guided movement maps that allow visitors to experience the arboretum through choreography and meditation.
At HRDC, though the full season has not yet been announced, shows are being lined up for the fall return. In addition to a return to in-person programming, HRDC hopes to ramp up performance energy by including new production techniques and making full use of special effects. Working in collaboration with the first-year musical team from last year on some new projects, the HRDC is excited to help new students get acquainted with performance at Harvard. Those interested in joining this student organization can attend workshops and learn more about the audition process at their event entitled “Doing Theater at Harvard,” which will take place on Saturday, September 4th from 12-6pm. The event will be “a great opportunity for everyone who has done theater before to be reintegrated into campus since we’ve all been away from the theater for so long,” Hoyang says.
As shows reopen this fall, it is time for performance to step back into the spotlight.
Carli Cooperstein ’24 (carlicooperstein@college.harvard.edu) is the Operations Director of the Independent.