were designed to provide an audi- ence or performer-friendly perfor- mance space. Despite the inordinate amount of our professional lives spent in online conference meetings, hosting complex theatric events on social media was a brand-new chal- lenge. There were no precedents or templates to consult or follow. So, in our own Great Small Works DIY way, we found technical solutions that worked for us. Trudi had the good fortune to connect with puppeteer/web designer Lindsey Wagner, who is marvelously ad- ept at using Facebook and Zoom. Lindsey, Trudi, and John Bell spent several weeks investigating and experimenting with possible live-streaming platforms. Ulti- mately, they settled on a plan, which functioned very well and preserved the possibility of presenting both live and prerecorded shows. All the performers were invited into a Zoom webinar session, which had effec- tive tools for toggling back and forth between multiple live presenters and the prerecorded videos. The result- ing feed was then sent to Facebook Live, which allowed an unlim- ited number of viewers. Individual artists and en- sembles were left to come up with solutions for their shows’ particular technical issues. As a result, the festival perfor- mances demonstrated an extremely wide spectrum of approaches to the problems of technologically medi- ated performance and resulted in some marvelously varied storytell- ing and narrative strategies. There were remarkable technical feats and highly polished multimedia produc- tions; there also were shows of great simplicity, filmed on kitchen tables with cardboard or found objects. Some were funny, some deeply moving, some irreverent, some care- fully crafted, some messy. Several of the live productions were performed by casts in multiple locations (even different countries.). GSW members presented seven original productions to the event. The first two festival events, on April 2–3, featured 40 performances from six countries. To run the event, the company divided itself into four distinct roles: Lind- sey was the Zoom host, switching among the various participants’ home screens; Trudi was VJ (video jockey), sharing the prerecorded video files; John presented MC introductions between each act (with
Space Mask by Drama of Works (Brooklyn, NY), a modern-day fable about our current situation, featuring cut-out images of the DOW company finding ways to soar together during the quarantine. Photo courtesy of Great Small Works.
Survivors of the Plague, an animation by Erik Ruin (Philadel- phia, PA) with music by Anna Roberts-Gevalt (Brooklyn, NY), based on a 1984 song by San Francisco punk band Flipper. Photo courtesy of Great Small Works.
ences prompted two more festival evenings, on April 30 and May 2. For this second iteration, the MC duties were shared among several GSW members. This second round of performances had about half the peak attendances as the first week’s, a drop-off no doubt due in part to the explosive growth of live streaming cultural events during the month of April, as well as the resultant “Facebook fatigue” in online audiences. In total, the four nights of festival programming featured 81 performances presented by approximately 120 performers. It was satisfying to see the ease with which the antique vi- sual storytelling techniques of toy theater could translate to digital social media platforms. In some ways, the virtual theater space had advantages over brick-and-mortar theater production. It is technically easier (and significantly cheaper) to produce an online event—need- ing only a single tech-savvy “stage manager,” rather than the full tech crew and house management team necessary for even a modest full- scale festival. The Facebook chat room proved to be a lively “place” too, where people could meet one another, comment, applaud, heckle, and schmooze. It provided a sense that we were all, in fact, together.
John Bell preparing for the online Toy Theater Festival. Photo courtesy of Great Small Works.
a set of figures painted for the occasion by Isaac Bell); and Mark monitored the live Facebook chat room. The program started with a live-feed welcome by GSW mem- bers, with Jenny Romaine leading attend- ees in a full-body workout to the “official” toy theater anthem. Live performances alternated with prerecorded productions to facilitate quick transitions between acts. The evening ended with all the perform- ers appearing in classic Zoom-grid forma- tion to take a final bow. Live streaming of the event peaked at 450 spectators. The enthusiastic response from artists and audi-
Nevertheless, the intractable problem with online performance is that it’s still only an illusion of togetherness. No matter how clev- erly its mediated communication draws us into a common experi- ence, it is still a pale substitute for the physical presence of others. Clapping with emojis and giving feedback in chat rooms doesn’t quite resonate the same as raucous communal dinners, outdoor music jams, and postshow parties. Within the strict geometry of the Zoom or Facebook grid, we can only approxi- mate social engagement. The limitations inherent in online platform performances are apparent to any artist trying to use it for a stage. Perhaps in the near future, these platforms will become more im- mersive and easier to adapt to puppeteers’ specific technical needs. But, embedded within this unprecedented moment in our cultural history, we are happy to exploit every available off-the-shelf technology that helps us collectively tap into a com- mon need for togetherness.
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