Technology; Theatres, Plays and Performance Submitted for assessment to the University of the West of England 2011 for Drama and Creative Writing degree award. Copyright: Hannah Williams Walton 2011 Photo from the Blast Theory website: http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/index.php Abstract Technology is now an integral part of modern society from the internet; to computers, mobile phones and gaming. It is clear that technology has made massive advances to society in terms of connecting the world however we must also examine the disciplines which may be struggling to adapt. The world of arts and theatre is a form that is routed in tradition which brings limitations in how far people are willing to push against normal conventions. This dissertation explores three sections of technology within theatre. „Digital Technology and Theatres‟ which explores the impact that the internet has had on the theatre in terms of marketing; and participation in the arts; looking at specific theatre websites, and the services Digital Theatre and National Theatre Live. „Technology and the internet in contemporary plays‟ looks at Tim Fountain‟s play Sex Addicts that uses the internet live during performance, and the work that contemporary playwrights have developed to stage modern technology within their work. From Patrick Marber‟s chatroom scene in Closer, to Chatroom by Enid Walsh that is set almost entirely in a virtual world. „Digital Performance‟ explores theatre companies and practitioners that are pushing the boundaries between performance and technology, to create contemporary pieces of theatre. The research identified Connected an organisation dedicated to working with artists who use live and interactive media; this included Duncan Speakmen, Hide and Seek and Blast Theory. The findings show that technology has inspired and created new pieces of work, and by breaking free from the traditional theatre conventions, theatre has the ability to inspire and reach a much wider audience. The dissertation recommends that as the digital age is here to stay, the use of technology is integral to keep theatre current and relevant for a modern audience. 2 Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………4 Chapter One – „Digital Technology and Theatres‟……………………………………7 Chapter Two – „Technology and the internet in contemporary plays‟…………..…...16 Chapter Three – „Digital Performance‟……………………………..……………..…25 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………....36 Appendices……………………………………………………………………...……39 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….42 3 Technology; Theatres, Plays and Digital Performance. Introduction Massive developments have been made in technology in the last decade: the world as we know it has changed radically, and continues to do so. The biggest developments can be seen through the ability to connect people, with the majority of the Western population now owning mobile phones, computers and an internet connection. The change has been extremely rapid with technological developments taking hold and ingraining themselves with contemporary society in less than a quarter of a century. „The explosion of digital culture in the last decade will continue to resonate long into this century.‟ (Dekker, Blast Theory) This technological world we now find ourselves submerged in is unquestionably here to stay. Theatre has always been at the forefront of exploring and reflecting key changes in society. This dissertation sets out to explore and analyse the impact that technology has had on contemporary theatre, plays and performance. In the 80‟s and 90‟s the growth in film, digital arts, technology and interactive media started to filter into the arts world in particular within Avant-Garde performance. However there was and still is a backlash with some traditional theatre goers arguing that the use of interactive media does not constitute theatre, believing this term only applies in instances when live performers (actors) create a contained drama that the audience are invited to watch - theatre. This type of theatre is a safe and comfortable environment for the audience; they have an expectation of the role they must play as the audience. The term performance came from a rejection of the „commodification‟ 4 of the material object. It stood for a new type of theatre where the body was the vital element, whereas previously the idea of time, space and action defined theatre. Performance allowed practitioners the freedom to develop and create new and experimental forms of art outside the world of the theatre. The body was used as a tool to explore ideas and concepts while theatre form and language was adapted and explored until it was unrecognisable. Performance broke away from the limitations that traditional theatre had imposed upon itself, thus performance gives theatre practitioners the ability to create and devise productions that less rigidly conform to the expectations that traditional theatre sets. Marvin Carlson examines the struggle with defining performance in contemporary society: „A growing interest in and utilization of technology and modern media in both theatre and performance art has further blurred the boundaries between these performance activities.‟ (Carlson, ix) However Steve Dixon is more forceful in his approach „In the digital world you cannot distinguish different disciplines by the physical nature of the media or by which work is created…why not be aggressive in the tumultuous context of the digital revolution? Why not claim all interactive art in the name of theater.‟ (Dixon, 5) He defines „Digital Performance‟ to „broadly to include all performance works where computer technologies play a key role rather than a subsidiary one in content, techniques, aesthetics or delivery forms.‟ (Dixon, 3) His definition will be used within the piece when referring to Digital Performance. The definition of plays within this work will refer to „non participatory‟ performance taking place in a traditional theatre setting, where technology may play a subsidiary role. 5 Printed material on technology is still limited. New technology evolves so quickly that printed material becomes dated soon after publication. Research published on the internet with theatres, plays and performance is scarce; and an area that this work will highlight. Chapter one explores how theatres use digital technology, specifically the internet as a powerful tool to enhance the experience of current theatre goers and engage a new audience. „Digital media technologies are affecting every aspect of our society, economy and culture. Arts and cultural organisations can now connect with the public in new ways, bringing them into a closer relationship with culture and creating new ways for them to take part.‟ (Digital Audiences, 8) New technology has enabled new initiatives such as National Theatre Live and Digital Theatre to develop and their success is evaluated using studies carried out by NESTA and the British Council. Chapter two explores three plays that respond to technology and primarily the internet. The plays focused on are: Closer by Patrick Marber, Chatroom by Enda Walsh and Sex Addicts by Tim Fountain. The chapter explores Marber‟s and Walsh‟s methods for tackling staging the virtual in reality; and how the internet can be used live within a play as a subsidiary aid within Fountain‟s Sex Addicts. In the final chapter: „Digital Performance‟ we look at artists and performance groups, such as Blast Theory and Hide&Seek, that have created innovative performance where technology plays a „key‟ role; without the technology the performance would not be possible. 6 Chapter One Digital Technology and Theatres I go to a lot of conferences on the subject of audience engagement in the digital age and how to address it, and I still hear people saying, „When it all settles down and we can see what has happened to the relationship between people, technology and culture, we‟ll take sustained action.‟ But it‟s not going to settle down, at least not in our lifetimes– Alex Fleetwood (Gardner, Hide and Seek) The following chapter will explore the impact that digital technology has had on theatres; how the internet can be used as a powerful marketing tool and advances that have enabled performances to be viewed outside of the theatre, therefore widening its audience. The internet is defined as a worldwide system of computer networks which enables the user to share and gain information from various sources, as long as permission is granted. The internet was created to share information easily funded by the government, commercial use was prohibited. This continued until the mid 1990‟s when companies found ways to bypass the government‟s network, and create their own. At this point the National Science Foundation ended its sponsorship of the original network, and all traffic came from commercial networks. The internet entered households around this time as network makers developed software to connect Personal computers (PCs) to the internet. It was however Microsoft‟s entry as an internet service provider that revolutionized the internet: they developed a browser and server that was easy to use and built into the desktop Windows 98. Today the internet is a self-sustaining facility accessible to hundreds of millions of people around the world. The website Internet World Statistics found that in 2010 7 nearly 29% (appendix 1) of the world‟s population were internet users. A survey conducted by Ofcom in 2009 found that this figure rises dramatically in England with 72% (appendix 2) of the adult population having internet access in their home. Electronic mail known more widely as email is the most widely used application on the internet and has overtaken the postal service as a quicker and more reliable way to stay in contact. The success of the internet must be in part be due to the fact it allows users freedom to access a huge amount of information that would not have been readily available previously. Much of this information is free. Internet Technology is constantly developing and advancing: it is now possible to have live conversations with anyone connected to the internet using internet relay chat (IRC) as seen in chat rooms, and the well known IRC programme MSN.