digital theatre and cyber theatre in drama education at school
TRANSCRIPT
"Digital Theatre" and "Cyber
Theatre" in Drama Education
at School
A study of 2 performance projects at a High-school
in Eberswalde, Germany
Master Thesis
Author: Michalis Georgiou
Supervisor: Kristina Hellberg
Examiner: Reza Arjmand
Term: VT21
Subject: Digital Humanities
Level: Master of Arts
Course code: 4DH40E
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Abstract
The aim of this study is to highlight: 1. how the introduction of new technologies in
Drama Education at school can renew the context in which performance projects
take place and 2. how the constraints imposed by a pandemic, such as those caused
by COVID-19, can be overcome through cybertheatre. The phenomenological
method is used to analyze a digital and a cyberperformance project, as theatre is an
event that takes place between its creators and its spectators. With the use of digital
tools in school performances a new experience emerges for students and spectators,
as the "living" actor is combined with "non-human" actors. Besides, the
cyberperformance provides a solution to a real problem in the midst of a pandemic
crisis, as the spectators participate remotely from the comfort of their own home. In
terms of interactivity, by giving the spectator the opportunity to use some information
or to choose the action of the play, the performances become more interesting, while
theatre is being highlighted, as an event that differs from other media such as T.V. or
cinema. Finally, the dialogue that can be produced in a chat-forum in
cyberperformance works as a reflection to it.
Key words
Drama Education, COVID-19, digital theatre, spatial experience, cyberperformance,
cyberspace, interaction, reflection, spectator, chat-forum.
Acknowledgments
Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Kristina Hellberg, who has supported
me with her scientific advice and thoughtful comments on my thesis research.
Furthermore, I am grateful to my tutors, who have guided me all this year in this
interesting field of study. I am indebted to my students for the enjoyable rehearsals
we carried out, as well as for the implementation of the following projects.
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Table of contents
1 Introduction 1
2 Background 3
3 Previous research 4
4 Theoretical basis 6
5 Methodology 8
5.1 Purpose and aims 8
5.2 Ethical issues 9
5.3 The projects as research material 9
6 Analysis 19
7 Discussion 26
8 Conclusion 27
9 References 29
10 Appendix 34
1
1 Introduction
Since September 2020 I started working as Drama Education (Darstellendes
Spiel) teacher in a private high-school in Eberswalde in Germany. The course
Drama Education at school in Germany, is part of the formal education, as it
is organized and guided by a formal curriculum, leading to the officially
recognized high school diploma and the teacher who teaches it, is recognized
as a professional one (Eaton, 2010). Thus, it is differentiated from informal
learning, where there is no formal curriculum and no credits earned, while the
teacher is simply someone with more experience (Eaton, 2010).
Drama Education at school combines theatre theory with theatrical
action and this means that part of the drama lesson is theoretical and part of it
practical. For this combination to be successful, the relationship between
theory and practice should be productive (Westbrook, et al., 2013, p. 15).
Knowledge and practical effort intersect, so that their separation becomes
difficult (Darstellendes Spiel, 2017). On the one hand, theatrical practice
makes theoretical content tangible and clear and on the other hand, the
feedback on theory is the prerequisite to success in action. The multifaceted
character of the theatre, has made the course Drama Education, apart from
being an autonomous teaching subject at all levels of Education, a tool of
teaching other subjects, as well and renewing and revitalizing the learning
process. In addition, this course includes the thinking and teaching practice of
teachers, as well as the visible observation of the results of the students
themselves, which makes its methodology "effective".
The modern age of information, digitalization and development of new
technologies creates a new and constantly changing reality, to which
Education is called to respond positively (Domingo & Gargante, 2016). School
is called to meet both the new needs of the students, as well as the society's
ones, from which it is being shaped. Drama teachers and professionals are
examining the positive impact of technology in drama in a world that is
changing very fast under the influence of technology (Cameron & Anderson,
2009, p. 7). The use of modern technological means can bring significant
benefits to educational process, as students of all levels have the opportunity
to interact, and develop multiple skills.
My intention as Drama Education teacher was anyway to integrate the
new technologies in the course (Flintoff, 2010) and more specifically in the
projects/performances that I organize with my students. The spread of
COVID-19 brought the above intentions even more strongly to the fore
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(Nagaraju, 2020). The main reason is that the results of the drama course are
usually presented in front of spectators, something that was impossible under
the current pandemic situation. Thus, the impetus for my project arose from
two basic observations and needs: the first one was the impact of modern
technology in theatre projects and the second one was the real need to look for
digital alternatives in theatre, to address COVID-era concerns. In this context
I was led to create with my students two projects/performances, which are the
subject analysis of my Master thesis: the first one uses technology and physical
objects creating an interaction between visual, acoustic and physical
dimension, illustrating a spatial interaction. The second one, I call it
cyberperformance (Chatzichristodoulou, 2012), as it uses technological
means, in terms of creation, but also the internet and multimedia to be attended
by the spectators. Cyberperformance is a new form of theatre that develops its
capabilities in parallel with technological means, retaining some of the
traditional theatrical techniques, differing however much of the traditional
form of theatre mainly in terms of corporeality (Papagiannouli, 2011, p. 273-
282). The basic idea is to use the internet technology as a cyberstage to bring
performers and spectators together (Papagiannouli, 2011, p. 273-282).
Cyberstage is the online environment, where communication takes place,
namely a space and non-space, with performers and spectators being present
and absent at the same time as part of a synchronous and mediating experience
(Papagiannouli, 2011 p. 273-282). Some interactive experiments for the
creation of cyberdrama have already been made and described in various
countries around the world, like Make-Shift (2010), which was about earth
pollution, Life Streaming (2010), which was a rectification of the 2004 tsunami
and Such Tweet Sorrow (2010), which was a Romeo Juliet adaptation
(Papagiannouli, 2011, p. 273-282).
More specifically, this study is an exploratory one, aiming to
investigate how the drama teacher can use the different manifestations of
digital and cybertheatre to create modern performances at school. In addition,
the study focuses on the use of internet platforms as theatrical spaces,
screenings and performance spaces and explores the interactive possibilities
of digital and online theatre, as well as the intermediate spaces and the
experiences they evoke.
The following chapter deals with the overall background and
terminological foundations of the study and the next one with the state of
research in the field. In chapter four the theoretical perspective is explained
and chapter five provides the methodology used. In chapter six, the results of
the projects presented are analyzed and the discussion section is used to
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present how the study answered the research questions relating back to the
theory and current research in the field. In the final chapter the main results
are summarized and a conclusion with suggestions for future research is
presented.
2 Background
The study and the projects revolved around the concepts: Drama Education,
digital tools and cybertheatre. To create one understanding how it might look
like, some definitions and concepts have to be explained. These include: the
concept of "digital tools", of "cyberspace", and the concept of "interactive
performance". An examination of all these areas helped to identify the
elements of a cyberperformance, as well.
The lesson of Drama Education at school contributes to the formation
of the personality of the students and to the cultivation of their skills. It is an
interactive process, which in contrast to a teacher-centered teaching system, it
puts the student at the center of interest (İşyar, 2017). Drama Education at
school is, as Ι have said, the dialectical relationship between theory and
practice, artistic and pedagogical, which aims on the one hand at the
development of the spirit of the students and on the other hand at the expressive
management of the students' body. Regarding the kinesiological field, the
theatrical method includes a wide range of exercises and games: body and
movement exercises, fantasy games, pantomime, improvisation,
dramatization, theatrical analogy, sketches, etc. Through them, students learn
how to move, act and use the space. Drama Education at school, in general,
contributes significantly to the exercise, education, development of the
student's personality and its ability to create as a individual but also in a team
(Tawalbeh, 2020).
Since 1993, Jonathan Neeland has been proposing the new
opportunities new technology presents in the learning process, as students have
to use digital tools and computer science creatively and imaginative so that
they understand their power (Neelands, 1993).
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The term "cyberspace" has been firstly used by the American-Canadian
author William Gibson in his 1984 published cyber-punk Roman
Neuromancer (Gibson, 1984) and since then the term has been used generally
to describe the world in which there is a human-computer interface (Davis,
2006, pp. 91-103). Janet Murray, invented the term "cyberdrama" in her book
Hamlet on the Holodeck: The future of narrative in cyberspace, proposing the
re-invention of the art of narration with the use of modern digital media,
through more expressive stories (Murray, 1997, p. 271). The art of theatre
defined either as cybertheatre, cyberdrama, or cyberperformance, is a genre
that uses the internet as a performance space, namely a cyberstage
(Chatzichristodoulou, 2012). In my study, from now on, the term
cyberperformance will be used, because I think it fits better the action of
performing in front of spectators. Besides, the internet can be used for the
development of intermedial performance, which can be enriched with music,
effects, animation, and even digital storytelling (Caroll, 2002, pp. 130-141 and
Muñoz, Marchesoni & Costa, 2011, pp. 110-118). As Erika Fischer-Lichte has
proven, intermediality, is taken for granted in theatre, as theatre is a medium
that combines the technology with human abilities (Fischer-Lichte, 2005, p.
357). Through many different features provided by digital technologies and
the internet, one can create an entire performance and present it in cyberspace
(Davis, 2011, p. 107).
In order to create a cyberformance, it is necessary to have liveness and
interactivity, as these two things connect theatre and the internet together,
where the latter enables real-time engagement (Papagiannouli, 2016, p. 10). Ιn
this case the performers do not pretend to ignore the spectator, but instead
interact with him and us a result the spectator is not a passive observer
(Lehmann, 2006, p. 144). Τhus the term interactivity is central to the
computing experience, while cyberspace offers different spaces for role
creation and interaction (Davis, 2011, pp. 149-167).
3 Previous research
Τhe positive effect of the Drama Education lesson on students has been proven
in practice and has been theoretically described in the literature. With the
dramatic method in education, which is a teaching method that enhances
communication, students experience a sense of socialization (İşyar, 2017, pp.
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215-230). Drama in education provides personal development, improves self-
confidence and self-esteem and leads to a positive increase in students'
perception of their own abilities (İşyar, 2017, p. 225). Teachers and
professionals with a strong educational focus have already adopted applied
drama at school developing a series of drama techniques, involving
participants in the production of projects as if they were some kind of
professionals in this field (Carroll, 2009, pp. 81-96). Although the above
process seems to be creative, existing research has not explored much about it
(Tawalbeh, Marsafawy & Roy, 2019).
Digital technology has been introduced in the school, however the
environment in which teachers work is characterized by bureaucracy, which
often leads to stagnation of the modern teaching methods. In this context, there
are educators who welcome and use modern technology and others who resist
innovation.. (Carroll, Chin, Rosson & Neale, 2001, p. 239). Besides, it has
been observed that the use of mobile phones or computers may have a negative
impact on learning through distraction, as in the case of intruding calls during
class hours (Darko-Adjei, 2019, p. 14), or impaired literacy skills and
dehumanization of education (Alhumaid, 2019, pp. 10-20). Ηowever, the
impact of technology on our lives is an irreversible process and the use of
mobile phones/smartphones and tablets has also positive aspects both on the
educational method and the learning process (Montrieux, Vanderlinde,
Schellens, & De Marez, 2015). Teachers have various technological tools at
their disposal and can integrate in teaching, video and audiovisual systems,
mobile phones, computers, tablets etc. (Muttappallymyalil, 2016). The use of
modern technological means can bring significant benefits to educational
process, as students of all levels have the opportunity to interact (Rackaway,
2012, pp. 189-200), and develop multiple skills (Woods & Rosenberg, 2016).
In addition to videos, technological advancement allows the
implementation of virtual teaching rooms. In this case, the virtual classrooms
are online platforms through which students receive information from a
qualified educational through an interactive environment. For its
implementation modern technology methods should be used, as well as
specific softwares, such as WebEx and Zoom. These media allow students and
teachers to communicate by using cameras, microphones and chat in real time.
Finally, it has been observed that this method allows students to ask questions
and receive educational materials electronically (Woods & Rosenberg, 2016).
Besides, teaching with technology does not mean just a simple use of hardware
and software, but also a human-centered use of technology and interaction
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within cyberspace (Davis, 2009, p. 150). Participatory planning is essentially
a reciprocal process of learning, interaction and thus personal development for
the participants (Carroll, Chin, Rosson & Neale, 2001, p. 249). The
introduction of interactive technology, is the integration of synchronous and
asynchronous collaborative work and the interaction between virtual school
and home (Carroll, et al., 2001, p. 250).
Drama Education at school is a lesson that certainly takes into account
and is being influenced by the general theatrical developments. Μodern
theatrical developments have brought cyberperformanceto the fore. Besides,
the idea is to use the internet as a cyberstage, in order to create a live and
mediating experience (Papagiannouli, 2011, p. 61). In our days, online
performance practices in virtual worlds (Giannachi, 2004), through video
conferencing, performance of diffuse and mobile technologies, called
cyberperformance, show that the genre innovates in dramatic, aesthetic,
conceptual and social terms (Chatzichristodoulou, 2012).
Besides, concepts that are central to human/computer experiences
(Davis, 2009, pp. 6-19), have been expanded in some cases, in such a way, in
order to solve other problems as well. In Japan, for example, researchers have
found that a large percentage of the younger generation have not read old
Japanese fairy tales because they find high-tech video games more exciting
than picture books (Matsuda, Morita, and Shindo, 2003). To fill this gap, the
research team developed since 2003 a new educational support tool called
Cyber Theater. Cyber Theater makes it easy to create a 3D-CG animation of a
children's story using the scripting language called CTSL (Cyber Theater
Scenario Language). Thus teachers will be able to use cyber stories as teaching
material in primary schools and students will be able to create their own CG-
animation stories (Matsuda, Morita, & Shindo, 2003).
4 Theoretical basis
Μy theoretical perspective is based on the key concepts of phenomenology in
relation to theatre and on Paul McIntosh theory of reflectivity in research
practice. I rely on Edmund Husserl's approach that rejects the belief that
objects in the outside world exist independently of our consciousness (Husserl,
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1913, pp. 87-94). Reality is thus treated as a pure "phenomenon" that is
consciously experienced, and so the purpose of the phenomenological study is
to describe a specific phenomenon while highlighting the experience of the
participants in this phenomenon (Eagleton, 1983, p. 55). According to Erika
Fischer-Lichte analysis, phenomenology in performance studies does not deal
with the "reading" of signs as a relationship between signifier and signified,
but considers that meaning can be found in the action of a performance and in
the presence of bodies, seeking to describe the effect that such situations or
presences have on the spectator (Fischer-Lichte, 2009, p. 78-79).
Thus, the main issues of my research analysis are the relationship of
the body with the space and the relations between performers and spectators
in the space. Physical or digital spaces that exist in the wider social space of
the community, are activated as stage spaces when they are occupied by the
presence of performers. The relationship between performers and spectators in
these spaces creates the fictional places of the performances (McAuley, 2000,
p. 7). In accordance with the theory of phenomenology, performance is defined
as an event (Fischer-Lichte, 2008, p. 18). This means that theatre is based on
the "production" of meaning and its "reception" by the spectators (Fischer-
Lichte, 2008, p. 18). Production refers to the production processes of a
performance and therefore to those who create it and produce it (Fischer-
Lichte, 2008, p. 18). Reception refers to the process of reaction to
performances the spectators attend (Fischer-Lichte, 2008, p. 18). In
performance, an automatic feedback loop exists (Fischer-Lichte, 2008, p. 38).
That means, there is a simultaneous production and reception and an ever-
changing feedback loop is created "during the interaction between actors and
spectators" (Fischer-Lichte, 2008, p. 38), while this self-reported automation
system "ensures that performance remains unpredictable and spontaneous to
some extent" (Fischer-Lichte, 2008, p. 38). To put it in another way
performance is a phenomenon that manifests itself before our eyes, at the time
of its production ant it is not fixed nor can it be repeated in exactly the same
way, as each time has its uniqueness.
Furthermore, in this case my role was that of a participating observer
of the performances, a researcher, who observed the object of research, having
participated directly in its creation. I observed, recorded, and analyzed the
event and people interactions. I believe that the phenomenological approach
fits the concept of reflection as a cognitive practice in the field of research,
which is based on qualitative research and it is used to legitimize and validate
research processes. As Paul McIntosh has proven, action research and
reflective practice is a creative approach that can be used effectively, creating
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a new style of research that is innovative in theory and enhances the
understanding of facts (McIntosh, 2010). Action research integrates research
and action. It is conducted by a collaborative partnership of participants and
researchers (McIntosh, 2010, p. 38). According to McIntosh, in action
research, participants are activated by the opportunity to be creative, there is
creative space for dialogue and a regaining of spirit and collaboration
(McIntosh, 2010, p. 184). Besides, it is a process in which researchers put
themselves and their practices under control, recognizing the ethical dilemmas
that permeate the research (Mortari, 2015, pp. 1-9).
The phenomenological approach can be a valid theory of reflection,
capable of improving the work of the researcher, as it allows the researcher to
understand what cognitive postures must be cultivated to become reflective.
Phenomenological reflection is a basic cognitive practice based on observation
and cognitive experience, allowing researchers to make a real reflective
practice (Mortari, 2015, pp. 1–9).
5 Methodology
5.1 Purpose and aims
In order to achieve the goal of this study, ie to highlight how the introduction
of new technologies in Drama Education at school can renew the context in
which performance projects take place and how the limitations imposed by a
pandemic like COVID-19 can be overcome, the following questions must be
answered:
1. What are the benefits of using Digital tools in performance projects with
students at School?
2. How can a cyberperformance take place at school?
3. What kind of engagement and interction is being created between
performers and spectators during a digital- and a cyberperformance?
The study is basically exploratory, as it is carried out when its main problem
is at a preliminary stage, and focuses: firstly on creating a "new art of school
performance", in an emerging field that combines drama and technology and
secondly on exploring the nature of spectators' involvement. In order to answer
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the above questions, the study used the method of "applied research", as it aims
to find solutions that may incorporate emerging technologies in school
performances and try to suggest a practical solution to a problem that has
affected our society. Besides, the component of the sudy was qualitative in
nature with the data being collected through the two performative projects.
Τhe projects are in the center of research and as a result they will be described,
analyzed, but at the same time they aim to propose a method of creating digital
and cyberdperformances at school. In the background of the realization of
these projects, the pedagogical character of the theatre played a central role,
while through their participation, students gained experiences with different
artistic ways of expression.
Besides, digital media have been used to create the projects, as well as
programming, in order to create the interactivity between performers and
spectators., This interaction and enhanced by the use of technology in various
ways.
Τhe cyberperformance project was set up on the Ζoom webinar, which
is a free software program that provides a video chat service that allows up to
100 simultaneous spectators. Moreover, spectators were encouraged to create
a continual dialogue-exchange in the chat space. These dialogues are examined
with the use of the Orange 3 software, which is an open-source machine
learning and data mining toolkit to perform data analysis and visualization.
5.2 Ethical issues
Ιn this work the ethical principles are respected and the information used is
anonymous. We must keep in mind that the violation of personal rights is not allowed
and where photographs, or text representations are used, this includes not only the
consent of the persons concerned or their right holders, but also the possibility of
withdrawal.
5.3 The projects as research material
My profession as a Drama Education teacher began, as I already said, in
September 2020, at a private school in Eberswalde, Germany. Μore
specifically, I was hired to teach in a vocational high-school (Berufsschule).
The German vocational high-school is a secondary school that offers
theoretical and vocational training. In the state of Brandenburg, where the city
of Eberswalde belongs the vocational high-school begins with the seventh
grade and after grade 13, students earn a diploma called “Abitur” by passing
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their final exams. I was hired to teach in grades 12 and 13, where the students
are between 17 and 19 years old, i.e. some of them in grade 13 have become
adults. Drama Education combines creative and dramatic elements, focuses on
the issues of movement, voice, improvisation, stagecraft, narration, but also
aims to motivate students to realize during the school year different
performances.
Thus, in the first project, the students of the 12th grade were asked to
create a mixed-digital-media performance, using as a pre-text the German fairy
tale collected by the Brothers Grimm Mrs. Holle. My role was that of the
project organizer and animator. The students had to introduce their own ideas,
the project would be based on improvisation, however I had to guide the
rehearsals. Furthermore, in this case my role was that of a participating
observer, a researcher, who observes the object of research, having
participated directly in its creation. We started the rehearsals in mid-October
and at the same time, a page in school’s Blackboard for the drama was created
and for a month various material - including short video clips, text and audio
clips - were uploaded. The students created their character and narrative
through their contribution to the rehearsals and the Blackboard. Information
were collected from the students in the project, with particular emphasis on the
types of their activities and the music they prefer. We worked on the roles,
causing further dramatic action through the introduction of additional narrative
twists in the pre-text and the music.
We decided that the project would make use of technology by using a
digital cinema projector and at the same time there would be an interaction
with the spectators. The projector replaced the sets. Different sceneries have
been activated, a village with little houses where the fairy tale takes place,
animals, a market, the oven where the village breads are baked, the paradise
with the talking trees, as well as different sounds or musical themes. To
achieve the interaction, we used the programming language Python. This
choice was a challenge for me, as I had to put into practice the basic knowledge
I have in Python programming language. Python is a high-level, general-
purpose programming language with dynamic semantics. It is attractive for
fast application development, as well as for use as a scripting language or for
linking existing components and its syntax emphasizes readability and
supports modules that encourage program configuration and code reuse
(Montfort, 2016, pp. 17-23). In our case,we created some dialogs and
commands using the Thonny Python Integrated Development Environment
that is especially designed for beginners and supports different ways to go
through the code.
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The project started presenting the rich widow, who favors her little
biological daughter, allowing her to remain inactive while outsourcing all
work to her stepdaughter (Goldmarie). One day, the spindle of Goldmarie fell
from her hand and fell into a well. She feared that she would be punished for
losing the spindle, and in panic she leapt into the well after it. The girl was
found in a meadow, where there was an oven, an apple tree and a house.
At this point, Thonny Python was activated and the following message
appeared on the spectator's computer screen:
Welcome to the meadow!
What is the name of the protagonist of the fairy tale?
Once the correct answer was given, the program responded the following:
Hello Goldmarie!
Goldmarie Υou are in the middle of the meadow.
You can go to the Oven, Tree, House.
Where do you want to go?
Τhe spectator must decide where Goldmarie will go. Τhe percentages of the
answers determine the order in which Goldmarie will select to go to the oven,
the tree and the house.
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When the girl comes upon the oven, the bread asks to be taken out before it
burned. When she comes to the apple tree, the tree says that its apples have to
be harvested. Finally, when she goes to the house, the old lady Mrs. Holle
allows her to stay there if she would help with the housework. Mrs. Holle is
hosting Golmarie. After a while, the girl asked Frau Holle to return home. At
this point of the performance, Thonny Python was activated again and the
following message appeared on the spectator's computer screen:
how long do you feel you are in the meadow?
Εach spectator gives his own answer about how long Goldmarie is in meadow
(the fairy tale does not give a clear time after all). Τhe program responds by
telling him/her that "This is a long time!" and:
It is time for you to return home.
Do you want to take your spindle with?
Τhe spectator is asked to respond, to receive the answer:
You should take it with you and keep it safe! Bye!
Mrs. Holle was impressed by the kindness and hard work of the girl and when
she accompanied the girl to the exit gate, bathed her in gold. The performance
ended with a combination of cheerful music, dance by the student performers
and a parallel video projection.
The 2nd project was created with the 13th grade. Due to the pandemic caused
by COVID-19, Germany recorded more than 10,000 coronavirus deaths until
December 2020. As a result, the government imposed a series of restrictions
since 16 December due to an increase in new infections. Restaurants, bars,
shops and theatres had to close their doors, a limit was applied to group
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gatherings, and 50% distance learning at schools was applied. For this reason,
this time we were not allowed to host live spectators.
My desire to overcome the limitations imposed by the pandemic led
me to choose the solution of presenting a performance using technology and a
platform as a cyberstage. So, during the first rehearsals I spent considerable
time with my students talking about what the cyberperformance might be
about, where it should be situated and what form it might take. It was decided
that we would be based on the text: A not entirely successful theatre rehearsal
of the ‘Theatre Circle of Friends Niedertupfelbach’ (Eine nicht ganz geglückte
Theaterprobe des „Theaterfreundeskreises Niedertupfelbach“), by Andreas
Heck. It is a short sketch play rehearsal of the famous "balcony scene" of
Romeo and Juliet. The play has 6 roles: Manfred as Julia (male, later wearing
a wig), Stefanie as Romeo (with sword, homosexuel), Emil as Tybalt, Heiner
as nightingale, Caretaker Kawulke and Günther as director.
While theoretically the spectator could be anyone with access, the fact
that the project had an experimental character, as we would realize it for the
first time, led us to decide hosting 12 teachers as live spectators.
Τhe whole project was set up on the Ζoom webinar, providing a video
and a chat servicefor the spectators. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there
was a significant increase in the use of Zoom for remote work, distance
education, as well as online social networking. In our case, Zoom worked as a
cyberstage and the spectator was free to use the chat-room to comment or even
having a dialogue with each other.
We divided into two groups / types of spectators: one group was made
up from six teachers, who attended the performance in the school, wearing
FFP2 masks and the second was made up from the rest six of them, who were
at home watching from their own screen. Thonny application was installed in
all the personal computers., as well as inthe computer at school room.
I started the performance with a warm-up exercise imitating an online
map tool showing the position of the spectators on the map to create a shared
experience. This was a method to enhance the sense of coexistence between
the spectators, who could thus know how many people share the same
information space with them.. On the "map", the presence of the public was
noted with dots, as we can see in the following figure:
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Figure 1. Google maps: ‚The spectators in the map’.
Τhe performance began with the following recorded message by the students:
"the following program is unsuitable for those who do not have humor".
Stefanie entered first listening loudly to her cell phone the song Barbie Girl
by Aqua. She was dancing and urged the spectators to dance too, following
her movements. The spectators started dancing and became visible on the
screens. Τhen Manfred entered, listening to a hip hop song on his cell phone.
He danced and urged the spectators to do hip hop dance moves. Τhen Heiner
entered playing the flute and urges the spectators to make light movements and
at the end comes the porter listening to the song Am Fester by City.
The spectators sat down and directly used the chat-room for general
conversation, making comments about the performance:
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3: Maria has awesome dancing skills
1: hahahah! She drove us crazy!
2: "Barbie Girl"… this is a song of our generation…
9: will we have surprises in the internet environment?
11: we will see…
6: I do not have a good relationship with technology, but it might be
interesting
9: we have been doing digital lessons for so long, you have definitely gained
intimacy.
8: Hahahahhaha ΝΟΤ PART OF THE PLAN to dance today
12: this is the next step, to watch digital theatre.
5: Am Fester is a song from East Germany.
1: Ιt has been a long time since I listened to this song, but even more time to
attend a performance
11: Me too… I missed theatre
4: We used to listen to it in the ‘80s.
At the same time the performance continued:
Director: Okay, let's start then. We play out the well-known balcony scene
Romeo and Juliet. Juliet, so Manfred, you're standing with Romeo, on the
balcony, Tybalt you up here in the background and look at them
Balcony scene. Heiner, is the nightingale ready? (all take their positions)
Nightingale: What now, nightingale or lark?
At this point, Thonny Python was activated and the following message
appeared on the spectator's computer screen:
What now, nightingale or lark?
(N)ightingale, (L)ark,:
16
Input: l
start singing like a lark...
Thus, each spectator had to decide if he/she would be a nightingale or a lark
and then there is an interaction, as they are motivated to imitate the bird they
have chosen.
They commented the following in the chat-room:
11: Well, this is a way for young people to spend most of their time using the
Internet when they are bored.
2: YeH:
4. Forums and chatrooms, and looking up really weird sites, like flahs sites.
8: funny things?
3: To be real, what? Easy access and use?
9: Yes, and a quick dialogue.
12: you have the theatre in your house, you do not need to go there
6: So you don#t want to have to look for it?
1: You don t want to have to look for it, you do not want to have to wait there
for longer than…
7: In the midst of a pandemic, whatever applies to work applies to
entertainment
8: Yes indeed! It is an alternative!
9: Its got to be something a little bit different -something you can’t get on
T:V. In other case, why would you go to all that effort for something like the
spot when you just turn on the T.V.
10: here, we also make choices.
11: true! This makes you think that if you do not look at it, that you are gonna
miss out.
5: Like it is more democratic or something like that
17
12: for the gym teacher it is definitely an unprecedented experience! with
difficulty knows how to open the computer!hahha
3: hahahhahha.
1: What I know is how to go to a site that just has funny videos - like all the
different funny videos. As there are piles of them and they update them every
few days with new videos. Its funny. I was never used to it, but lately….
Because I'm home all the time.
4: Because they are funny, I laugh.
6: Are they animations or videos?
9: Videos, very funny videos in, except that some are not just funny. Some of
them are like "wow".
10: concentrate now on the digital performance! It is also ‘wow’
5: the performance is cool
2: So how do you find Νik, as a caretaker, who has such a tough accent?
3: I just enjoyed it more.. I just enjoy action more.
6: yeah! Strange!
11: in fact the thoughts for such a performance came amid a pandemic! …
12: But part of the fun of the Internet for young people is that you can send
these things to each other, and look at these things.
5: Like it is more democratic or something like that.
Τowards the end of the project there is the following dialogue in the
performance:
Romeo: Cruel wickedness that brought you here to this place.
Julia: Oh Romeo, I itch so much. Uh, oh Romeo, I'm so afraid!
Romeo (jumps from the balcony) So cruel Tybald we face, from man to man
and fight to the death. Uh, I forgot my sword.
Regisseur: OUT! It's a catastrophy. Emil, what about your sword and
Manfred, why are you scratching yourself on a tour?
18
At this point, the Thonny Python Integrated Development Environment was
activated and the following message appeared on the spectator's computer
screen:
Choose whether Romeo will duel or the performance will stop abruptly
press (B)ag to search in the bag, or Q(uit) to stop the performance:
At this point the spectator is asked to decide whether Romeo will look in the
bag on the stage or whether the play will end at this point.The spectators had
to press (B) and then the following message appeared:
Romeo opens the bag that is on stage...
in the bag there are stage objects. He has to select one to duel:
- PLASTIC SWORD
- PLASTIC AX
- PLASTIC TUNCHEON
Thus, the next message is being activated:
Υou have to choose with which object Romeo will duel:(S)word, (A)x,
(T)uncheon
press(S) for SWORD, (A) for AX, (T) for TUNCHEON:
Depending on what the spectators choose, Romeo chooses to duel with the
corresponding object. For example:
Input: T
Romeo takes the TUNCHEON
19
The performance ends with the duel between Romeo and Tybald.
6 Analysis
During participant observation, I had to play two roles at the same time, the
one who organized the projects and the rehearsals and the objective researcher.
Thus, I must point out that the following results are filtered, to some extent,
through my personal interpretive frameworks, but at the same time they are
shaped by the formative theoretical framework, which I developed in Chapter
four of my thesis.
Regarding the digital performance project, since student performers
were already involved in creating the characters, they quickly found the right
attitude and response to the material when it came time to begin the rehearsals.
The fairy tale was staged during the last week of November 2020, in a hall
where laptops were placed in front of the seat of each spectator and Thonny
Python has been downloaded. The hall used is the one where the school events
usually take place. In this way nothing changed in the habits of the students
and the spectators. The hall is used to create a sense of one shared space and
indeed seeing the spectators around you creates a sense of community.
Α main benefit was the very digital nature of the project, relied on the use of
the projector that gave the opportunity to activate different sceneries, project
videos, play different sounds and musical themes. Besides, it quickly became
apparent that digital video was a powerful medium by which students had to
identify themselves. This happened, because in some way, the projector
undertakes the role of a digital actor (Masura, 2020, p. 4). Through background
projection, motion is integrated into the visual spectacle. Location changes can
now occur between scene changes and without the need for other scenic
equipment. The digital settings can be easily changed and changes, from small
to more complex, can occur throughout the action. Thus, the project Mrs. Holle
well illustrates the spatial interaction (SI) theme (Hornecker and Buur 2006,
20
p. 442). The body is being perceived by the others, as a moving body in the
space and at the same time gives the form of the character / hero for the
spectator. Parallel to this, the displayed objects can have their own life and
continue to evolve, as for example in my case the village with small houses
where the fairy tale takes place, the animals, a market, the oven where the
village breads are baked, the paradise with talking trees. Thus, the "living"
actor is combined with non-human actors. Essentially, not only sets and stage
objects were replaced, but also characters with digital technology, ie in a way
the non-organic factor (Masura, 2020, p. 4). In this project, performers and
spectators were in the same space and so on an ever-changing feedback loop
was created, which made the performance being unpredictable and
spontaneous to some extent.
The cyberperformance project, took theatre's relationship with the
digital world one step further, while at the same time it provided a solution to
a real problem in the midst of a pandemic crisis, i.e. the fact that the spectators
could not attend a performance up close. The use of the internet to create a live
synchronous performance using an internet platform as a stage, allows for real-
time engagement. Traditionally, theatre building is a specific meeting place,
where actors and spectators meet. In cyberperformance, spectator members
participate remotely from the comfort of their home, from anywhere in the
world using a screen directly positioned in front of their eyes to be fully
immersed. What is lost in this case is the notion of body naturalness and the
physical presence of actors and spectators. Τhe physical presence of a
community of people is what traditionally signifies the artistic event in the
place where it takes place. In my case, in order to fill this gap somehow, I
chose to visualize the presence of spectators in different places in Eberswalde
using a digital map and the location of each spectator.
However, the basis or the performative transformation of the stage is not in the
space of the building and the stage itself, but in the common space and what
happens between actors and spectators. Besides, the loss of common space
brought loss of the automatic feedback loop. There was no spontaneous
interaction between actors and spectators and thus the unpredictability of the
performance depended only on the unexpected improvisation of the
performers.
My projects introduced a concept of interactivity, which has also been
relied on technology with the use of programming language and specifically
the Python language. As long as Thonny Python was activated, it strengthened
the spectator's attention, as the latter had to answer questions, in order the
21
program to move to the next question. It is an ‘artificial’ interaction, because
of the use of the mediatized technology and the fact that it is not a completely
free kind of interaction, but instead of this the questions and commands
themselves set some limits.
Besides, the key elements for developing this form of interactive
performance are the management of the process and what are often seen as the
competing demands of creating satisfactory narrative as well as engaging
interactive experiences (Davis, 2011, p. 107). In these new forms of theatre
that I explored, new combinations of engagement and immersion are
developed. The spectator's participation in the way the story will develop, can
arouse interest more and cause him a more emotional form of immersion
(Reaney, 1999, pp. 183-88). The way the narrative was set up, offered an
engagement because it was interactive in the sense that the spectator chose the
action in the story. In some way the spectator is called to participate in the
scenes, as he has the power to direct the narrative and make use of the
information given to him.
It is this function that further expands the dipole: ”production” and
“reception”’ (Fischer-Lichte, 2008, p. 18). There is no performance,
independent of its creator and at the same time of its recipient. Instead, we are
dealing with an event that involves everyone though handling information
differently, but participates in action decisions. Essentially, the focus of this
process is no longer the work of art, which emerged from the activities of the
creators, but an event, which evolves and completes with the actions of all
involved (Fischer-Lichte, 2008, p. 22).
However, there is an essential difference between a digital and a cyber
performance. Since in the case of the cyber performance there are no spectators
and actors in the same space and the automatic feedback loop is lost, the
‘artificial’ interaction that we created with the use of technology and Python
language, is considered necessary to create the feeling of coexistence. While
in the case of the digital performance the ‘artificial’ interaction is an element
that is added, in order to give the spectators, the right to choose the action that
will follow, in the case of the cyber performance it enhances the coexistence,
by giving the spectators, the right to choose. Thus, the advantages of cyber
performance, as well as its limitations are highlighted.
While this way of interaction and participation was introduced through
the use of the personal computer to make decisions about the action of the
performance, the second project introduced one more dimension, that of
22
interaction and dialogue between spectators via multiparticipant chat. This
gave the opportunity to the spectators to have a creative or entertaining
dialogue and at the same time to comment on the performance they attended.
At the same time their dialogue and their comments gave feedback to the
project and became material for my research. In other words, it was a way to
reflect synchronously on their experiences. Besides, chatting is a form of
microtext with essentially computer-mediated sentences (Uthusa and Ahab,
2013, p. 116).
From the beginning of the dialogue there is a valuation of the
performers' abilities, in this case the dance abilities of a performer, while the
spectators were waiting for something exciting or unexpected thing to happen:
3: Maria has awesome dancing skills
1: hahahah! She drove us crazy!
2: "Barbie Girl"… this is a song of our generation…1
9: will we have surprises in the internet environment?
Attending a performance with this kind of intermediality, where the physical
body and the voice being expressed through a digital environment causes
excitement in the spectators, surprise, but also the feeling that something
unexpected will happen. Furthermore, the spectators addressed the issue of
technology in different parts of the chat dialogue:
6: I do not have a good relationship with technology, but it might be
interesting
9: we have been doing digital lessons for so long, you have definitely gained
intimacy.
Besides, the fact that the issue of technology has become a topic of discussion
becomes apparent after the analysis of the dialogue with the software Orange
3. I have copied the text in txt files and I have used import documents to upload
1 This comment refers to the song: Am Fenster, 1978 by the rock band City. Τhis song was
very popular in Εast Germany.
23
the files. I added a stop words txt. text, in order to avoid the most common
used words. In this way, topics, words and names that relate to my texts begin
to clarify. For example: ‘digital’, ‘video’, ‘technology’, ‘internet’,
‘performance’ that begin to give an initial picture of the content of the texts:
Figure 2. Orange 3: word clowd.
The nature of chat is part of the digital experience and the human-computer
interface. For one performance taking place in this context, it becomes obvious
that users expect to be able to participate in the process of influencing it.
People do not want to spend lengths of time on the as a passive spectator and
this becomes apparent in the dialogues:
24
10: here, we also make choices.
11: true! This makes you think that if you do not look at it, that you are gonna
miss out.
5: Like it is more democratic or something like that
Although it is impossible to determine the nature of the commitment for all, it
may become apparent that the interaction enhances public attention and at the
same time a sense of democracy in deciding on the continuation of the project.
In addition, the issue of theatre itself was discussed:
1: Ιt has been a long time since I listened to this song, but even more time to
attend a performance
11: Me to… I miss going to the theatres
…….
12: you have the theatre in your house, you do not need to go there
6: So you don#t want to have to look for it?
1: You don t want to have to look for it, you do not want to have to wait there
for longer than…
7: In the midst of a pandemic, whatever applies to work applies to
entertainment
8: Yes indeed! It is an alternative!
9: Its got to be something a little bit different -something you can’t get on
T:V. In other case, why would you go to all that effort for something like the
spot when you just turn on the T.V.
As it turns out, the issue Ι raised above, the fact that someone does not need to
go to a specific place to attend a performance but this can be done comfortably
from home, without wasting time, was commented on as something positive.
It also became apparent that efforts like these began as a solution in presenting
25
performances during the COVID-19 pandemic period. There are media that
allow the user to sit, relax and receive information in a passive way, such as
‘traditional theatre’, movies and TV, while there are also ways in which the
user can interact and control the flow of information, such as in our case while
answering questions or making decisions about the continuation of the
performance.
Τhe fact that the digital and the cyber performance are synchronous
performances with the right to interaction, makes them differ from the film
recorded ones. Due to physical distancing requirements, in the midst of the
COVID pandemic, public performances were banned and many theatre
institutes tried to adapt by offering online streaming recorded performances.
Οnline recorded performances found a great response from spectators.
Nevertheless, the interest for recorded performances began in the 1960s, when
many artists became familiar with the use of new technological means to
document the performances that are transient. These are, for example, the
recorded performances Dionysus at 69 and Celtic + ~~~, which serve both as
historical sources today, as well as film material of the '60s and '70s available
to the public (Fischer-Lichte, 2009, p. 70). However, there is a difference
between on-line synchronous performance and mediatized performance. The
fact that the mediatized performance is asynchronous excludes the concept of
interaction. In the case of digital and cyber performances, digital media are
used for interaction that can work in live performance, so live goes far beyond
mediated performance in terms of interactivity.
In fact, the chat functioned as a way of acting for the spectators and at
the same time as a reflection on our project. Besides, spectators are familiar
with it, as in our days the way in which most people discover websites or more
generally new information related to study, work or entertainment interests is
through chat. It was a rather spontaneous way of reflection and at the same
time objective, as it was part of a context in which the spectators expressed
themselves with humor and jokes. Itbecame clear that this context of the
performance signaled interest in similar future projects and raised awareness
for future spectators, but perhaps something more. It was the validation of the
existence of a new kind of performance that can take place even at school. It
is a recognition that we can be creative even in difficult times, in times when
we are forced to limit our social contacts.
26
7 Discussion
The study was basically exploratory and the questions asked, have been
answered by describing and analyzing two exemplary projects carried out by
the researcher himself with students in the city of Eberswalde, Germany during
the school year 2020-2021. In the first project, the students of the 12th grade
were asked to create a mixed-digital-media performance, using a projector and
at the same time the programming language Python, in order to create an
interaction with the spectators. A new experience emerged for students and
spectators, as sets and stage objects were replaced through the
projectionandthus, the "living" actor was combined with non-organic, non-
human actors. Besides, the key elements for the development of this form of
interactive drama was the management of the development of the story by the
spectators. Thus, new combinations of devotion and immersion are developed,
as this function further extends the dipole: "production" and "reception"
showing that a performance is always dependent on the relationship between
its creator and its recipient at the time it takes place.
As for the cyberperformance project, implemented by the 13th grades, I have
developed a method of presenting a performance that makes use of the internet
as a platform in real time. Thus, it provided a solution to a real problem in the
midst of a pandemic crisis, namely the fact that the spectators could not attend
a performance up close. Of course, what is lost in this case is the sense of the
naturalness of the body and the physical presence of the actors and the
spectators. Theatre is essentially a relationship between performer, spectator
and the space in which both meet. The theatrical building and the way the stage
is structured to frame the performance, ie the organization of the spectator and
practitioner spaces inside the building, affect the relationship between the real
space of the theatre and the imaginary parts that are evoked (McAuley, 1999).
The positive fact in a cyberperformance is that it can be attended
simoultaneously by spectators from all over the world. In this case, new
communities are being created and people with different background are
coming into contact with each other.
In terms of interactivity, the same method was used with the digital
project, so that the performance arose not only from the activities of the
creators, but as an event, which evolved and completed with the actions of all
involved. In addition, in the cyberperformance project, a new dimension has
27
been introduced, that of interaction and dialogue between the spectators
through the conversation of many participants. This gave the spectators the
opportunity to have a creative or fun dialogue and at the same time it was a
way to reflect on their experience from the performance, something that gave
material to my research. Besides, through the comments of the dialogues it
becomes clear that the cyberperformance was a successful alternative within
the pandemic period.
The impact of accumulated experience has proven to be good, especially
in relation to student preparation activities. The performances presented a high
but feasible challenge level and were associated with a positive mindset. They
used digital media, which are familiar to students, but also the internet as a
communication space, developing a degree of intimacy and interaction
between performers and members of the public and among the allocated spaces
where the performances took place.
8 Conclusion
The problem addressed in this essay was to point out how the introduction of
new technologies in Drama Education at school can renew the context in
which performance projects are carried out and how the limitations imposed
by a pandemic such as those caused by COVID-19 can be overcome. My
research on this problem involved the implementation of one performance
project at school which used mixed-digital media and another
cyberperformance, which was presented in the middle of lockdown in
Germany and for which the internet was used as a stage. The
phenomenological method in performance studies was used to analyze the
projects, as theatre is an event that takes place between its creators and its
spectators. At the same time, myself was part of the creation, and an observer
of the events, which I recorded and analyzed. My research also included a
reflective practice dimension, as in the second project the spectators
commented on it through their dialogues in chat forums.
I argue that using digital tools in school performances a new experience
emerges for students and the public, as the "living" actor is combined with
28
non-organic, non-human actors. As for the cyberperformance it provides a
solution to a real problem in the midst of a pandemic crisis, as the spectators
participate remotely from the comfort of their own home. Cyberperformance
does not replace live theatre, because it does not require actors and spectators
to be in the same physical space. Nevertheless, it is a genre that is likely to
evolve and expand in the coming years. Besides, in terms of interactivity, by
giving the spectators the opportunity to use some information or to choose the
action of the play, the performance becomes more interesting, as the nature of
theatre itself is being highlighted, as an event that happens here and now, while
it is different from other media such as T.V. or cinema. Finally, the creative
dialogue in the cyber performance chat was a positive reflection to both the
project, supporting the results of my research.
The present study revealed some guidelines for future research. Some
of the topics touched upon here that could be further investigated include the
further integration of digital media into a performance, acting and the
opportunity given to teachers and students to experiment with an empty stage.
Research on acting in cybertheatre is vital for the study of its intermediate
character and for how students can develop their skills within it. Another
interesting research topic is about experimenting in cyberdrama, with digital
internet tools that can create real-time scenery, such as digital drawing tools
(Bohse & Rebekka, 2020, pp. 321-340).
Theatre fulfills the urge to imagine things that may seem incompatible
now, but will happen in the future. Drama Education at school remains a
powerful vehicle through which new thoughts of students bloom and are
released. This is the main contribution of the digital- and cybertheatre: students
to express what could not to be expressed before, or else, it could not be
expressed in a time of global crisis, such as this pandemic crisis of our time.
29
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10 Appendix
Original versions of the commands processed in Thonny Python
environment
Figure 1. Thonny, Python: "Welcome to the meadow".