THE THEATER IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL MEDIA Cover Image

ТЕАТАРОТ ВО ЕРАТА НА ДИГИТАЛНИТЕ МЕДИУМИ
THE THEATER IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL MEDIA

Author(s): Aleksandra Pavlova
Subject(s): Theatre, Dance, Performing Arts, Fine Arts / Performing Arts
Published by: Факултет за Драмски Уметности - Скопје
Keywords: Theatre; digital media; hypertext; virtual reality; digital culture;

Summary/Abstract: The evolution of the new technologies and media in the digital age has had a profound impact on the theatre as a specific area of art and culture. The new technologies and media have enabled the creation of completely new forms of art, mainly within the digital culture. The rapid and widespread expansion of the Internet, the development of new personal communication devices and the emergence of social media have caused radical changes in the distribution channels of cultural products based on their digitization and dematerialization. The purpose of the essay is to examine the aspects of the technological advances in the digital age and their impact on the performing arts, namely the theatre. We will look into the evolution of the new complex theatre arts starting from the first multimedia experiments in the late 1950s to the digital interactive virtual theatre platforms today. In doing so, we will start with the awareness that the use of virtual technology not only allows to change the space of the play in the theatre building, but also creates a new form of communication with the audience inside or outside the theatre. The first theatre to become a leading concept as a combination of a play and cinema, i.e. live actors and film, appeared in Prague, the Czech Republic in 1958, and was presented for the first time at Expo 58 in Brussels. It, essentially, still exists and is called LaternaMagika. Using examples of specific theatre productions worldwide, we are going to try to answer the question to what extent digital technologies and media, directly or indirectly, will affect the concept of theatrical production and what their impact is on the audience watching a particular theatrical performance. That is, whether and to what extent the theatre will remain preserved in its classical appearance or will it become a „virtual game” in which its basic characteristic – the direct contact with the audience – will be lost?

  • Issue Year: 2020
  • Issue No: 8
  • Page Range: 10-21
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Macedonian