THEATER IN THE TIME OF COVID
**Note: this article was originally posted in Sept 2020 in Corduroy Publications**
As the pandemic rages around the world, performance artists find new ways to share their art.
Our world is no longer “normal” thanks to COVID 19. We work from home (mostly in our PJ’s) and limit our time outside. While technology has made this transition possible in many industries, it isn’t as simple for others.
Performance artists rely on live interaction with people for their jobs. Stand-up comedians, stage actors, and even late night talk show hosts all normally perform in front of live audiences. But what happens when live audiences disappear? Artists get creative. Well, more creative.
Many people might be familiar with the fact that late night hosts have taken to hosting via webcams, or that SNL stars are creating sketches from their living rooms. However, people might not know how this trickles down to smaller performances. While it might seem like the pandemic would’ve killed all smaller theater and comedy shows, the opposite appears to be true. From San Francisco to New York and all across the world, live performers and theater companies are using technology to their benefit.
Cassandra Hunter is an MFA student at the American Conservatory of Theater in San Francisco. As a first year student, she was…
