Critical Acts 163 - . . New . The Archaeology of Archaeology The Wanderlust: A History of Wanderlust: Site-Specifc Performance In the Footsteps of Kings: A A New of Kings: In the Footsteps . New York: Penguin. York: New . , ed. Graham Ritchie, 67–94. Edinburgh: 67–94. Graham Ritchie, ed. , www.nva.org.uk/current-projects/speed+of www.nva.org.uk/current-projects/speed+of +light-31/ (28 June 2013). Palgrave Macmillan. York: In Burial and Argyll.” Ritual in Argyll Edinburgh University Press. www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2007 /01/12113611 (28 June 2013). Walking in and around Kilmartin Glen Walks Guide to Kilmartin: Trust. Kilmartin House acts that compose and surround war. Included acts that compose and surround war. in the declarations tweeted that morning: the options are on If the necessary, table. “All IDF is ready to initiate a ground operation in recommend that no Hamas opera “We Gaza.” whether low tives, level or show senior leaders, their faces above ground in the days ahead” (2012c; 2012d). an hour had given what would become a week- long war “The its IDF name: has embarked The on Operation Pillar (2012b). of Defense” feed soon became its own front Twitter IDF in the battle as a locus for many of the speech Solnit, Rebecca. 2000. 2000. Rebecca. Solnit, 2012. Sharon. Webb, TDR: Te Drama Review 57:4 Winter(T220) 2013. University and York ©2013the MassachusettsNew Institute Technology of NVA. 2012. “Speed of Light Edinburgh.” August. August. “Speed of Light Edinburgh.” 2012. NVA. 2010. Mike. Pearson, Associated with “Monuments 1997. Graham. Ritchie, “Highland 2007.” The 2007. Scottish Government. - -
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, . Scottish Roman Tragedies Unpublished The Guardian . London: Sort . of . Thousand Oaks, Thousand Oaks, . , 23 August. www. August. 23 , Half Life. The Ecological Thought The Ecological For Space For Sightlines eastern standard time, am 3, 2 (Autumn/Winter):121–32. 3, is currently Assistant Visiting Professor in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Scotland on Sunday fife.org.uk (12 September 2012). www.hal CA: SAGE. MA: Harvard Cambridge, University Press. (12 September 2012). Books. in Scotland’s Prehistoric Writing Future.” Review Literary manuscript. forget.” forget.” theatrescotland.com/Scottish-theatre-writing/ fife.html Articles/hal (10 November 2012). www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2007 8 September. /sep/08/theatre (15 January 2013). NVA. n.d. “About Us.” www.nva.org.uk/about www.nva.org.uk/about Us.” “About n.d. NVA. “Half Life: Journey into the 2007. Neolithic.” NVA. Morton, Timothy. 2010. 2010. Timothy. Morton, Legendre, Thomas. 2012. 2012. Thomas. Legendre, 2005. Doreen. Massey, Legendre, Thomas. 2011. “Landscape-Mindscape: “Landscape-Mindscape: 2011. Thomas. Legendre, Jamie, Kathleen. 2012. 2012. Kathleen. Jamie, Fisher, Mark. 2007b. “Half Life.” “Half Life.” 2007b. Mark. Fisher, Fisher, Mark. 2007a. “A land that time will never “A 2007a. Mark. Fisher, the UN Security Council in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East for securitycouncilreport.org and whatsinblue.org. He researches the intersection of theatre and international relations by studying the forms of spectatorship and theatricality that attend to scenes of global politics. He received his PhD in Performance Studies from NYU. [email protected] James R. Ball III Performance Studies at the University of Maryland. He has previously reported on the work of & Islamic Jihad targets” (2012a). Minutes & later Islamic (2012a). Jihad targets” @IDFSpokesperson tweeted their frst target, and the Ahmed within Hamas al-Jabari, leader presence) tweeted, “The IDF has begun a presence) wide tweeted, spread campaign on terror sites & operatives in the chief #Gaza among Strip, them #Hamas military operations against Gaza had recom menced: at 9:29 @IDFSpokesperson (the Twitter IDF’s offcial On 14 following November an 2012, intensi fcation in rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip Israel targeting Defense Israel, Forces (IDF) made their frst formal announcement that James R. Ball III Staging the Twitter War Staging the Twitter Amsterdam’s Toneelgroep 164 Critical Acts (right). (Courtesy of Daniel Dinero) Daniel of (Courtesy (right). Toneelgroep2. & 1 Figures Amsterdam’s and Cleopatra’s romance),each Cleopatra’s allowing and mother,his with wife,son, and and Antony relationships instance,fraught Coriolanus’s (for intrigue human and con fict personal inter emphasized minutes,Hove 90 van as Cleopatraand edies: trag Rome-set Shakespeare’s of three together cut long,spectacle hour intermission-free Hove.van Ivo six- by nearly directed The Toneelgroep Amsterdam’s (BAM): Music Brooklyn of the Academy at ferent Twitteronstage found be could war 2012). Sutter 2012; Schachter frst world’s less,Twitterthe or as ters (see war charac 140 of volleys in battles,out playing narrative and discursive these describe soon shields”human (2012b).would Commentators bases.and IDF, army,terrorist a as you use will Forces] Occupation [Israel #IOF = #IDF Israeli offered, “Warningfrom away Stay Israelis: to shields”human (2012e),as @AlqassamBrigade facilities.you group,Hamas,use terrorist will a & operatives Hamas from away Stay Gaza: in @IDFSpokesperson’s to “Warningreporters to could.it Responding whenever events of tion characteriza IDF’s the challenged and (2012a) #IDF”coming are started...we #Palestine pied threat,for occu tweeting of “Liberation threat Brigades.matched @AlqassamBrigade wing,military the its Qassam of Al account the via Twittercyberspace in fre returned 2007,since Gaza administered has that tion From 16 to 18 November 2012,dif November a 18 to 16 From organiza political Hamas,Palestinian the Coriolanus . By reducing each play to as few as to play each .reducing By , JuliusCaesar Roman Tragedies ,and Antony Roman TragediesRoman - - - , - - - - play’s political plots to emerge in abstractions in emerge to plots political play’s icts it sparked,it conficts new the bemoaned and #RomanTragedies”Rome! to 2012),(Frisbie access,Come their stage! on we’re “@natty_ijs at marveled Rome),twitterati to the phant trium returned Coriolanus after (soon stage the onto allowed frst was audience the When stage.the on set were that sions,risers and couches,the televi among vantages new again,back fnding or stage to house from circulate could members audience which in moments the denoting scenes certain between #RomanTragedies”gladiators (Yang 2012). into sextigenerians turn can admission eral gen immersive: is experience lobby the “Even tweeted open,@cynthiayang to user doors for waited audience the as blessing: production’s the receiving before participation digital of form this into entered already house.had Many the in seated those to selections curated cast broad that ticker LED an on or devices their from commentary media new the follow then #RomanTragedies.”could members Audience hashtag the using tweet and pictures take to action,(digital) to call “Youencouraged are occur.would sequence) nal the featured also It origi their (in scenes plays’ three the of each which at times the marking schedule scene a contained outset the at playgoers to tributed managed.were dis engagement fyer handy A gaze,spectator’s body,each which by tures and struc classes),the political and 21st-century suggest to ties and suits of uniform (a sions war),indicate allu to lights strobe and (drums ed set changes set identifed further fyer The as seen from the house (left) and the stage the and (left) house the from seen as ------Critical Acts 165 - - - - It just from provid Brilliant” Brilliant”
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Geoffrey Way identifes three primary Way Geoffrey ing views of a to rehearsal promoting process, interaction between audiences and performers history, as contemporary news briefs would also history, be featured on the LED ticker above the stage: live news of Israel/Hamas “#RomanTragedies (Kanthou during 2012). Coriolanus” modes in which social media have been inte grated into “social live media performance: as a means social for media access, as a means for and social participation, media as platforms for Way’s (2011:403–4). dramatic performances” categories mark several opportunities for the atre artists to use social media to encourage engagement with an audience onto the street #romantragedies. 2012) (Verkerk sis of the gesture wouldn’t be Ivo van Hove if an actor didn’t run out into traffc followed by a camera. Still (Bishop-Stone 2012c). #RomanTragedies” others on twitter drew attention to the ways the outside world encroached upon the staged ------
to stitch itself tweeters waxed phil Roman Tragedies Roman “The cast literally moved out
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Twitter also became a venue for refec Twitter beyond the opera Enobarbus house run walls, ning out through the audience onto Lafayette Avenue For some spectators, Twitter provided oppor Twitter For some spectators, tunities for into the A fabric few of duti the wider world. fully reported the moment the show spilled out osophical: “Lessons Julius osophical: Caesar taught me: Don’t try to be a god and people won’t try to (Lorenzetti 2012). #RomanTragedies” stab you. tion and analysis. As Marc Antony As wept Marc over tion and analysis. Caesar’s corpse (a scene staged as a 21st- century press conference), the carnage mounted, the photographic carnage evidence mounted, proliferated. tain journalistic responsibilities, tain as journalistic did responsibilities, tweeter @sbishopstone who “End captured of the pic.twitter. Coriolanus #RomanTragedies As (Bishop-Stone 2012a). com/KOvZ99iU” “@planetaclaire apparently there’s no more (natty_ijs space in Rome #RomanTragedies” Those with the best views 2012). took on cer Figure 3. Audience members circulate during a set change. On the LED feed, from a CNN report on Gaza: Small boy killed in the crossfire. (Courtesy of Daniel Dinero) 166 Critical Acts 21st-century spectatorship by incorporating the incorporating by spectatorship 21st-century of form particular a modeled play the essential: fad.than Yetfor more anything become will or is dramas stage live,into media new such of incorporation Way’sthe that evidence scant offer examples venue.as characters,Nonetheless,serving or to ble from the stage, serving the immediate needs immediate stage,the the serving from ble visi and accessible were stands concession and stations makeup apparatus: theatrical its ground fore to pains took also production the though occupied,audience the spaces same the in cally scenes.naturalisti private acted were plays The more suggested that intimacy new a duced space,pro this and flled stage, bodies the their onto allowed was audience America.the Once North and Europe in spaces institutional nish fur who makers policy and planners the by preferred sort the of styles Scandinavian ist minimal in couches low-slung with cluttered space stage a by fgured was sphere public this spheres.those to access At visual and with proximity physical audience’s the did sphere,too public so fgured broadly a and sphere private intimate an between lated realms.oscil digital onstage into dramas the As which in ways rarely.only it in participate I though drama the in immersed am I capacity; this of spite in powerless largely meaningful,feel events but geopolitical render that narratives the together piecing in role cial events. and players its with engagement oscillating an and affairs world of spectacle the to access fractured with politics global for audience this Tragedies spectators.more once to spectator As were feeds the following actors,those cal and politi two by produced spectacle verbal the responded,Hamas Twitterfor venue a became respond.or Once re-tweet could who others by participation invited tweet each and Defense of Pillar Operation in deploy would that forces Twitterthe of glimpses shown long had feed of use Twittertheatre.in and war IDF in The the between similarities formal the clarify can that apparatus conceptual a offer further modes modes the Waybetween ing identifes. These navigat deftly service,by microblogging and This effect is not solely a function of the of function a solely not is effect This , I found myself a theatrical analog to analog theatrical a myself ,found I Roman Tragedies Roman Tragedies Such spectators play a cru a play spectators Such Roman Tragedies extends itself extends
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an audience an Roman , ------from my back on a television a few feet ahead feet few a television a on back my from inches happening events watch to me requiring entirely,me behind be furniture,indeed or some or members audience other by blocked be might see to players.trying was I action The major the followed operators whose cameras hand-held and house opera the throughout installed cameras stationary several from play the of rect.video live offered televisions The indi or partial often was ferns,view one’s well-placed few a with embellished was and televisions fat-screen of dozens featured stage the since access: or clarity greater bring always camera-ready.politicians world real- making into goes that work the towards gesturing and spectators and actors both of Territorialmore occupy to began maneuvering appear.to seat open an change,for waiting scene each marked that clocks countdown the strategic,tion.watching became closely Others dura the for it from budge to refused and couch agreeable an onstage.found tory Some terri their out staked members audience as developed chairs musical of game insidious effects.bodily had so particularly and A choices the to tator spec theatrical.a and Being mediated ingly increas become has it as authenticity and substance lost has politics contemporary that critique usual the beyond went sentations repre play’s the and visual solely not was the by modeled spectatorship of form the well; as evolved engagement of tics house.the in back poli or the Withshift each onstage points vantage new seek to shift would members audience many and again change scrutiny.theatrical to acts those submitting and onstage spectatorship of spectator,the acts her materializing ultimately alienated further mediation or obstruction new interpretations.scenes,particular Each cueing individual contrasted or complemented etc.) F.John Kennedy, Obama,Olympics,Barack the (of footage news contemporary and historical Rome: of that invaded centuries 21st and 20th the of history the where breaches as served gaze,audience’s they the doubling and ing abstract me.not of were televisions the When The intimacy allowed spectators did not did spectators allowed intimacy The Every 20 to 30 minutes the scene would scene the minutes 30 to 20 Every Roman Tragedies required physical required Roman Tragedies ------
- Critical Acts 167 ------historical events not captured by Shakespeare tracked quickly across (or Toneelgroep) cut by the ticker whenever war Data engulfed Rome. and statistics took prime place here: each char and acter’s recorded death dated, was marked, in The the ticker’s zooming historical record. ticker also made tweeting spectators into par ticipants in the construction of the historical narrative: select tweets were displayed regu larly among the historical and contemporary activities of those onstage Twitter The updates. flled out the comprehensive view for those As certain watching obser from the house. vations passed across the ticker (such as my macrocosmic views the house afforded. A macrocosmic pro views the house afforded. jection above the and stage equal space, to it in gave the size, house-bound audience the same view available on each of the television screens and between onstage, the two an LED ticker, like those delivering news Times snippets to and commen history, offered context, Square, tary for each of the plays (in between the con temporary news updates Key noted above). ------The onstage audience was returned to the sensed their machinations, sensed but their the machinations, onstage micro-events were of little import alongside the of the house throughout the the audi event, ence onstage formed the mass of Roman citi dynamic scenery installing itself within zenry, Astute observers may have the proscenium. nal hour of the proceedings. To house for the To fnal hour of the proceedings. those gazing at the stage from the plush seats tory, assert a particular view, and maintain that assert a particular view, tory, view in the face of forces who would take it from her. less and divisive, less clashing and in divisive, subtle ways over an extremely For limited the resource. audi spectatorship ence became onstage, a battle: it required each spectator to stake her terri relinquishing a claim to space or property. The relinquishing a claim to space or property. political conficts depicted found physical ana logs in an audience that grew increasingly rest sum game of maintaining one’s hold on a spot of turf developed: many shifted in place to optimize a changing view of the scene without Figure 4. Contextual information (Courtesy presented of on Dan an Dinero) LED ticker. and a zero- and more of the spectator’s energy, 168 Critical Acts idential election recently past,recently while election idential Antony pres US the of themes many reiterated ulism pop with wrangling Coriolanus’s represented: intrigues the to corollaries as mind to come immediately events historical world Certain weekend.that available those as resonances specifc with loaded as performance a ining imag trouble have I 2012 November in tor these).at activity specta much a see As not did I but emails send can spectators where onstage stations internet still are (there 2010 of place Twitterin used was May to prior as old Twitteras nearly itself,email though Tragedies BAM.at stage the onto way its make to Defense of Pillar Operation allowing 2012,November of news the from headlines to again turn would ticker LED the when explicit more made politics,effect contemporary an with integration play’s the toward gestured also constituencies.efforts smaller Such for ing interpret bloggers pedigree,citizen ous to dubi of heads talking publications,televised to peer-reviewedin analysts professional from punditry,of degrees varying offering observer expert the politics: contemporary acterizes char increasingly that spectatorship of form a proceeded. it as meanings play’s the construct actively to distance ical crit of moment a for allowed view house the history...#romantragedies”is tics 2012]),[Ball jotting,own poli audience/house the “From Figure 5. The end of Coriolanus. (Courtesy of Sarah Bishop-Stone) Sarah of (Courtesy Coriolanus. of end The 5. Figure Toneelgroepperforming been has since 2007.since thus is production The This,too, modeled Roman ------rst be con be frst can images and words where place right.own their in Twitterone become has fronts but distractions not are technologies tal Twitter’sdigi such servers,that demonstrated onto out spilled Defense of Pillar Operation as it.IDF,wage the who of those actions of The strategies theatrical the amplifying while fought like Twitteris war which in space the extend undesirable,safe,nor nor media desirable ous politics.danger global Neither of milieu ized theatrical increasingly the in new) and (old spaces mediated of centrality the demonstrates suggest,production the on 2011:117),takes Zaiontz critical and some as world”hypermediated (Corbett a in distraction for) desire (and of dangers the “dramatiz[ing] twitterverse. the as chamber Council feld battle the beyond fought is war where spaces antiseptic the in interested primarily be to evoked,set the space gray,the and bloodlessness this institutional crime.war Between a of evidence umentary above,doc from like photographed hastily and 2012b]) [Bishop-Stone tweeted observer one Ekkyklema,”of use (“Excellent platform rolling a onto falling actor an by marked were deaths violence.political global to observer an being of effcacies and ethics the on light new shed member audience as staged myself sphere.political Finding contemporary the of Roman Tragedies
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in 2012 these are as much the Security the much as are these 2012 in forced me to take stock of the ways the of stock take to me forced art in immediately so refected life own BAM.my at Having onstage that ship Toneelgroepmodel would spectator historical and political contemporary of form the cisely pre engaged like.had the I and events,media Council of video live Twitterreports,feed,news to to my to glued week that spend to me led had Council Security Nations United the into Gaza.research My And,also course,was of there month.same the Petraeus David Director CIA toppled had that dal scan sex the up conjured dence deca private Cleopatra’s and tatorship form a constituent part constituent a form tatorship spec everyday of acts my which in was largely bloodless: largely was Roman Tragedies Roman Tragedies Far from Far proved - in fact in ------Critical Acts 169 . pm
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. http://twitter.com . . http://twitter.com . http://twitter.com . http://twitter.com . . http://twitter.com . am pm pm pm pm Canadian Theatre Theatre Review Canadian ” , 22 November. www.theworld. 22 November. , . http://twitter.com/IDFSpokesperson. . . http://twitter.com/IDFSpokesperson. . . http://twitter.com/alqassambrigade. . . http://twitter.com/niccilor. . . http://twitter.com/planetaclaire. . http://twitter.com/IDFSpokesperson. . http://twitter.com/hkanthou. . . http://twitter.com/alqassambrigade. . http://twitter.com/jamesreedball. . 5:04 pm http://twitter.com/natty_ijs. World The PRI’s (23 March org/2012/11/the-gaza-twitter-war 2013). November, 3:40 17 November, /sbishopstone. 5:13 17 November, /sbishopstone. Politics of Distraction: Spectatorial Freedom and Toneelgroep’s (dis)Enfranchisement in Tragedies. Roman (Summer):117–20. 7:08 pm 9:29 am 10:45 14 November, /IDFSpokesperson. 10:49 am 1:22 14 November, /IDFSpokesperson. 5:34 pm 4:35 pm 6:22 am 7:28 pm 6:39 pm 1:43 17 November, /sbishopstone. political relationship with those events and so our integration into the history they will war offers new Twitter Staging the become. ways to use theatre to do politics and write history. IDFSpokesperson. 2012d. Twitter post, post, Twitter 2012d. IDFSpokesperson. 20 November, post, Twitter 2012e. IDFSpokesperson. 17 November, post, Twitter 2012. Haritini. Kanthou, 17 November, post, Twitter 2012. Nicole. Lorenzetti, 7:09 17 November, post, Twitter 2012. natty_ijs. War.” Twitter “The Gaza 2012. Aaron. Schachter, Frisbie, Claire. 2012. Twitter post, 17 November, 17 November, post, Twitter 2012. Claire. Frisbie, 14 November, post, Twitter 2012a. IDFSpokesperson. post, Twitter 2012b. IDFSpokesperson. 14 November, post, Twitter 2012c. IDFSpokesperson. Ball, James R, III. 2012. Twitter post, 17 November, 17 November, post, Twitter 2012. III. James R, Ball, post, Twitter 2012a. Sarah. Bishop-Stone, post, Twitter 2012b. Sarah. Bishop-Stone, post, Twitter 2012c. Sarah. Bishop-Stone, “The and 2011. Keren Natalie, Zaiontz. Corbett, References 17 November, post, Twitter 2012a. Alqassam Brigade. 20 November, post, Twitter 2012b. Alqassam Brigade. ------com
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A Twitter history is exceedingly ephem Twitter A Roman Tragedies Roman of spectatorship available to 21st-century global and why where, we citizens suggest that how, watch world historical events establishes our torship is much the same in theatre as in war, and the lessons from each realm apply to the other. historical once more posing a As comprehensive view of the scene. an active process of specta making meaning, back at work on my research, following Twitter back at Twitter work on following my research, now to see what end to the Gaza confict might Agreement was reached be on in a sight. cease and my view became fre on 21 November, tors wrote the show for me from Coriolanus’s to to Brutus’s the Antony rise, betrayal, fall of I would be On and 19 Cleopatra. November, production once more. production Following once live more. updates of the I #romantragedies retraced hashtag, the as history new I specta had lived a day earlier, eral. On 18 at eral. November 6:00 2012, the show began again I at logged BAM, into account at home to experience the Twitter my the stage to be incorporated into the meanings but charged made, the audience with the work of writing that history in the moment. ately available to it. The integration of Twitter The Twitter integration ately of available to it. in the temporary historical and political events onto from 21st-century Gaza. from Spectatorship 21st-century requires Gaza. the active production of meaning by the specta tor; in all theatre the audience must make sense of the narrative from the material immedi rial the usually invisible forms of participa tion that attend be all it theatre, on a stage in Elizabethan England or on a news broadcast not empowered to participate in the events as they unfolded. and spectatorial engagements rendered mate its audience their place in a digital theatre of The audience of war. ther invited nor authorized to intervene in the history it watched sure of, the sure physical of, feld. battle to refect back on Twitter, specifcally media, IDF indicated and recorded some of the bloody effects of the war in tweets also demonstrates that this front is not or divorced an from, era tested the offcial cessation of hostilities. 170 Critical Acts Way,Geoffrey. 2011. Shakespeare: “Social Verkerk,Mariana. 2012. Twitterpost,November, 17 Sutter,D.John 2012. “Will Twitterthe become war pm 8:12 2013).March (23 -gaza-israel .com/2012/11/15/tech/social-media/twitter-war norm?”new Narrative Theory Juliet ,Media,Performance.”Social and .http://twitter.com/marianaverkerk. CNN.com 41, 3:401–20. ,November.19 www.cnn Romeo and Romeo Journalof
of Technology Institute NewMassachusetts the ©2013 York and University 2013. (T220) Winter 57:4 Review Drama e T TDR: Yang,Cynthia. 2012. Twitterpost,November, 17 2:57 pm .http://twitter.com/cynthiayang.