Theater Artists Zoom to Their Screens for Work

Alexandra de Suze sits in front of her laptop, dressed in a makeshift Shakespearean costume. She’s performing in “Outrageous Fortune,” a comedy by Rebecca Salomonsson where Shakespeare’s characters come together in a self-help group and work through their tragedies.

Normally, she would perform before a packed audience on an Off-Broadway stage. Now, she creates work with the help of Zoom. “Why should we stop creating just because [theaters] are shut down?” she says with a big smile on her face. “If ever there’s a time to keep creating, [it’s now] because this is the way we express ourselves.”

Theaters went dark in March 2020 because of the coronavirus. Broadway shut off its lights, and people abandoned the streets. De Suze was in rehearsal for a concert when she was told that Broadway was going to close in a few days. “It felt like in three days the world just completely changed,” she said.

The pandemic actually provided more work for Geovonday Jones, actor, director and adjunct professor at The City College of New York (CCNY). He has been hired throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, directing Zoom shows for CCNY and Off-Broadway theaters. He said, “The pandemic has actually worked out in my favor, for directing and teaching. I’ve been busier than I was last year with this stuff.” He’s glad to have work, but he has found it exhausting. “Zoom fatigue is real,” he said.

Zoom did and continues to provide space for artists to perform and theatergoers to enjoy. The number of Zoom users jumped from 12 million in February of last year to over 300 million by April of 2020.

Jones and other artists have found it uncomfortable working on Zoom. “It’s the worst. It’s absolutely the worst,” Jones said. But he’s made it work. “I started to realize [that] this could be interesting. We just have to think about it in a different way. I started playing with this form of where … theatre and film intersect on this virtual platform.”

Others like de Suze look at the upside. “I think it has opened up so many opportunities for people. I feel like there were a lot of people who weren’t brave enough to try anything live,” she said. “It’s another way for people to be creative with the work they have and to be able to put it out there.”

Many theater companies and acting schools have moved their shows to an online platform. some charging close to nothing or asking for donations to view their productions. The Public Theater in New York is providing Zoom shows and audio plays to its audiences. They are streaming a pre-recorded production of “Much Ado About Nothing” for free through March 19, 2021. The Atlantic Theater is also providing online theater content and Zoom acting classes at a low cost to those who want to join the fine arts.

TikTok provided an additional platform for theatre artists. Its users came together to create a musical based on “Ratatouille,” the 2007 Disney classic about a rat who dazzles a Parisian food critic with his cooking. Seaview Productions, a New York-based production company, decided to use the videos as inspiration. “Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical” became a 4-night musical benefit concert for The Actors Fund, an organization that supports performers and backstage workers. By the end of its run, the musical raised over 2 million dollars.

De Suze believes online shows will continue even after theaters open. “It’s going be longer than we’d like before we can really fill a theatre, fill a music venue, fill Off-Broadway spaces and other interactive spaces. I’m thinking there’s going be a lot more recording of productions for people who can’t get out.” But she feels confident that people will return to in-person performances. “I don’t think it’s going to keep people from live theater.”

While streaming performances are probably here to stay, Geovonday Jones is losing interest in them. He said, “When the world opens back up fully, there [will be] no need. Art comes out of a specific need.” And he believes people are ready to return to the theater.

Looking on the bright side, Broadway theaters are set to open with limited audiences in April 2021.