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Virtual Theatre Is Not the Same

By Flip Kobler 

Flip Kobler began his performing career as an actor before morphing into a writer.  Flip and his wife, Cindy Marcus, have written for Disney and now run Showdown Stage Company and Showdown Theater Academy in Valencia, California.  Pioneer Drama Service is pleased to offer several plays and musicals by this dynamic duo. 

As the pandemic plods on, one thing has become clear.  People are sick of Zoom.  Me too!  Which is weird because video conferencing was pure science fiction when I was a kid.  It would have been amazing!  But like it or not, we’re quickly adapting to this new norm.

The fatal flaw is that’s it’s not the same.  Not the same as teaching in a classroom.  Not the same as feeding off the energy of a collected group.  And worst of all...

Virtual Theatre is not the same as live theatre.  That’s true.  There’s nothing like a stage production with lights, sound, costumes, props, blocking, and an enthusiastic audience.  That energy, that give and take, that feeling you get at curtain call, basking in the glow and applause — man, that’s theatre.  We theatre junkies live for that.

Virtual Theatre is not the same.  It’s just not.  No way to sugarcoat that, no way to spin it.  We can’t lipstick that pig.  It’s not the same.

But that ain’t a bad thing!  For centuries, theatre was king of the performing arts.  Then came radio, and suddenly a whole new performance art was born, with new rules, new skills, new talent, new vision.  And not the same as live theatre.  Then came silent films, and radio voice actors couldn’t find a place in slapstick visual comedy.  Then “talkies” came, and the silent stars couldn’t get work.  Then came TV.  Then streaming, and the web series.

What I’m saying is that theatre has always evolved, and this is just another step on that long glorious path.

But it’s not the same.  Yup.  Just like a father’s video of his daughter’s spring production of Robin Hood isn’t the same as the movie version.  Of course it’s not!  It can’t be.  But that was never the point.  It wasn’t meant to recreate a blockbuster movie or an animated video.  It was about the kids, and their experience being part of something bigger than themselves.

When I was young, my high school had a world-famous marching band.  Since they’d won so many awards, the drama department wasn’t allowed to use the school auditorium.  No, sir, that’s where the Band of Gold’s equipment was stored!  We theatre geeks were banned from our own auditorium so the band could house their tubas.

So, we were forced to perform in a large classroom.  No matter what you do, a large classroom isn’t the same as an auditorium.  But my drama teacher wouldn’t give up.  With ingenuity and a can-do attitude, we made lemonade out of those lemons!  We had coffee-can lights.  We created a different environment.  We did theatre in the round.  And mime.  And experimental stuff.  We adapted, and it was great.  It was awesome.

But it wasn’t the same.  I never got the chance to perform onstage all through high school.  I never got to star in a musical or bow before the footlights.  But you know what?  I learned to make coffee-can lights.  I learned new kinds of theatre.  I learned to adapt.  And through it all, I was inspired to do more, try different things, and spread my wings.  My drama teacher gave me the courage, tools, and fire to move to Hollywood and chase my dreams.  And you know what?  I caught some.

And that’s what theatre is all about, right?  We’re not in this to change theatre as we know it, or get our show on Broadway.  We’re here to educate, inspire, and lead by example.  And, yes...

Virtual Theatre is not the same.  But it’s the best alternative we have right now, and the effects can be the same!  Whether you’re rehearsing onstage or via video, kids are still learning about leadership, teamwork, listening, interacting, projecting, enunciating, getting in touch with their feelings and emotions, staying in the moment, ad-libbing when things go wrong, thinking on their feet, and all those other ancillary goodies that come from putting on a show.

The product is less important than the journey.

But it’s not the same.  Nope.  Nor should it be.  Because Virtual Theatre is sooo new, it’s evolving fast, and we get to be the ones to help shape that evolution!  Remember life before YouTube?  Then people started making little videos.  Pretty soon it morphed into a platform for web-series, instructional vids, gag reels, everything that it is today.  But that didn’t happen overnight, and when this all started, people were saying about YouTube —

But it’s not the same.  As TV.  And they were right.  It became its own thing.

And I find that super exciting.  I am jazzed that we get to be the alpha group that helps shape a new art form.  Maybe — just maybe — if we keep our eye on that goal, it’ll help soften the disappointment about canceling big seasonal musical productions.

Let’s face it, none of us got into this for the money.  Very few of us will ever direct the next great Broadway star.  Most kids in theatre don’t pursue that dream.  But the skills they learn in theatre, virtual or otherwise, serve them through their whole lives.  Public speaking is going to help with that book report or big office presentation.  As technology advances, working on camera is essential experience in job or college interviews.  We’re not here to make stars.  We’re here to give kids the tools to help them chase their dreams, to transform lives.  One curtain call at a time.

We can still inspire.  We can still adapt.  We can still be the example these kids need.

When things get back to normal, Virtual Theatre might fade a bit.  But I don’t think it will ever go away completely.  It’s too new, too important, and too vital.  Especially when getting together is a challenge, or performers are even in different time zones.  It might even be just a few rehearsals online, like first table reads, or intimate character work with just a few actors.  It could become a new norm.

And for now, Virtual Theatre is our best option.  I know it’s not the same, but where it’s most important, it is.  So let’s embrace it.  Let’s grow with it.  Let’s be the change these kids need.  Radio didn’t kill theatre.  Movies, TV, and YouTube didn’t kill theatre.  Even budget cuts didn’t kill theatre!

We’ve got this.  We will survive.  We will thrive.  We will change someone’s life.  We just have to get through this.

Because we’re theatre geeks.  And we can be whoever we choose.  We can be Robin Hood, or Elphaba, or the third shepherd from the left.  So, let’s choose to be the ones that toughed it out through a historically crazy time, the ones who didn’t give up, the ones who adapted and continued to change someone’s life.

That’s us.  We got this.  Now let’s get out there and break some legs.