Port in a Storm: Arriving at a Virtual Theatre Through the Pandemic of 2020

Abstract

abstract:This article recounts the transition of a New York City resident theatre from staging quarterly, live, in-person performances to broadcasting weekly, live-streamed, remote readings, a response to the closing of theatres during the 2020 pandemic. Part memoir, part instruction manual, part meditation, the article includes the artistic director’s personal reflections on the journey, advice on virtual theatre production, and observations of core theatrical values revealed by the search for theatre’s substitute. The article concludes by drawing lessons from the work of the Provincetown Players learned by confronting a social, medical, and cultural crisis 100 years later.