Entering a New Stage: Reflections on Virtual Theater and Public Humanities Practice

Abstract

This article chronicles the experience of planning a virtual theater festival during the first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. UCLA’s Diversifying the Classics had to pivot from planning for an in-person LA Escena Festival of Hispanic classical theater to an online version, which brought challenges but also exciting new opportunities. The team of professors and graduate students brought their experience from planning an in-person festival in 2018, and they quickly began to learn new skills required for the technical and logistical challenges of the virtual festival. Collaboration was key for their success, and the new format opened up avenues for closer engagement with performers from a wider geographical range. Questions and opportunities remain for theater projects exploring virtual forms, even after the pandemic. The chronicle reflects on how LA Escena 2020 came together and considers best practices for future artistic collaborations in virtual theater.