A Very Present Presence Zoom World Premiere featuring Jennifer Pagnard, Diane Cooper-Gould (top: L, R), Erin Denman, Nicholas-Tyler Corbin (bottom: L, R).
As we emerge from our COVID caves, and the world opens up again, I hope we remember not only what we lost, but also what we gained during this trying time.
I had a very unusual but gratifying artistic experience: a full production by Pipeline Playwrights of my magical ghost story play, A Very Present Presence, on Zoom! Thanks to all of you who tuned in for this World Premiere. It was fascinating to watch the process of "staging" a play on this platform. My director Catherine Tripp became our Chief Invention Officer by virtue of inventing a new visual language for putting my story onstage on the screen.
My actors had to re-invent, since they were forbidden from doing what they naturally do--look into the camera. (Ironic, considering all the times I have said to clients as they polish up their Zoom skills: "if actors can learn to look into the camera, you can too!") And if that didn't pose enough of a challenge, they couldn't look at each other on their screens either. So they put post-it notes all over their walls, computers, furniture to remind them where to look. They recreated the world of the play while making no eye contact whatsoever! Quite an unusual feat--and one they carried off with great aplomb. Though they found it difficult, they all commented on how much their listening skills deepened during this process. I will definitely ponder that insight. And incorporate it into my coaching practice.
I don't know if/when we'lI need this hard-won knowledge in the future. But I do know that the whole experience expanded my view of what theatre can be and what it can do. And that the very human urge to keep telling stories can surmount just about any obstacle.
Some people can't wait to "get back to normal." But we all discovered resourcefulness and resilience over the past 15 months. That is powerful. Hopefully we can use these lessons learned to make sure the Now and the Future offer more and better possibilities than the Before.
