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Not All Virtual Theatre Is Created Equally

By Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus 

We’ve written multiple Virtual Theatre plays, we’ve acted in them, we’ve directed both kids and adults in them, and we get it — Virtual Theatre is not the same as live theatre.  It’s just not.  No way to sugarcoat that, no way to spin it.  It’s not the same.

And we were a bit doubtful about this virtual reality.  It’s not theatre!  But then, turkey burgers aren’t beef burgers, yet they are still awesome.  You just can’t go into it thinking it is theatre.  It’s a unique beast.  You have to use what skills you have directing theatre and apply them to Zoom (or whatever program you use).  So here’s our two cents:  five things we’ve learned about directing Virtual Theatre.

Embrace the Zoom.  Virtual Theatre is still in its infancy, so we’re all still learning.  We’ve seen many virtual performances.  For us, trying to pretend that we’re all in the same room or on the same stage doesn’t quite work.

We saw a performance where the virtual actors were in front of a green screen.  The Zoom host was able to splice them into a single virtual background, making them look like they were in the same room.  But really, only sort of.  The tech isn’t really there, though we understood the goal.

The problem is, they weren’t in the same room.  Their sight lines didn’t match up, the sound was funky...  it just didn’t work.  Nice attempt and as tech improves it could be a cool technique, but...  it didn’t work.

Our advice is to embrace the Zoom-i-ness.  Embrace the fact that we’re all on devices, rather than pretend we’re not.  This means that it is best to choose a show specifically written for Virtual Theatre.  Pioneer has over 40 shows written specifically for video conferencing, with reasons why the characters aren’t all together.  An online psychic or communication via magic mirror or somebody ordering coffee in a drive-thru lane — that’s the way to go so that the electronic communication is part of the story, instead of a distraction.  Embrace it.

Production values are everything.  The hardest part about Virtual Theatre is that you don’t get all the goodies you get when you do a show onstage:  costumes, props, sets, lighting.  All those things matter in real theatre.

But here’s the thing — they really matter on Zoom!  So the more your actors can do with these, the better your overall show will be.  We watched a video of a school doing our show, Virtually Ever After.  The Wolf with Little Red was in full-on wolf makeup, plus the granny nightie and bonnet.  And Little Red wore a red hoodie.  Wow, it made a difference!  They also made sure each actor had good lighting on their face.  Then they had each kid pick an appropriate fairy tale virtual background — a cabin for Granny, a forest, etc.  This show was so interesting, so compelling to watch.  Spending time on these details just made the show so much more fun!

So it’s worth it to take a little extra time getting those things right.  Maybe instead of a virtual background, the actor is literally in their kitchen — or at a desk or in their closet or whatever makes sense for the script.  The point is to have the audience see more than just a talking head.

We now plan a few rehearsals just for tech.  Trying different costumes, backgrounds, lights, and makeup.  Trial and error seems to be the way forward, but taking rehearsal time to get the production values right is the single biggest step you can take to raise your performance to the next level.

Blocking matters.  Yup, we’re not onstage.  We can’t do a lot of blocking because everyone’s trapped in their own little Zoom boxes.  So we’re learning to play within those boxes, thinking of them as several little stages to shape.  There’s still plenty to do to make the visual more interesting.

Like, rather than just a talking head sitting in front of a computer, can you pull back?  You can still do upstage and downstage, left and right.  The actor can stand and move around, still staying in frame.  The camera can even give you bigger and smaller, which is a dimension you don’t get onstage.  Try having an actor lean in toward their camera as emotions intensify.  You’ll love the impact!

Can you have your actors up and moving?  In one show we watched, an actor kept walking away from the camera, hands up to the sky in rage.  Then he’d come right up to the lens, one eye taking up the entire frame.  Hysterical!

Use the little Zoom frame to do shtick.  Can you have actors appear in different parts of the frame?  Maybe just pop in from the left, then from the right, then from the bottom?  Or enter left and exit right?  Can you move the actual camera to a new location, maybe even while filming?  In another virtual show we watched, the actor was using her phone as her camera and filmed herself literally running down a hallway at her house to get to the basement.  It was hilarious!

The point is, your actors need to do a heck of a lot more than sit there in front of their camera.  Acting takes action, so they should be standing, moving, gesturing, entering and exiting.  Creative blocking within the frame can take your performance to another level.

Bubble the worlds.  If your show is a collection of monologues or vignettes (like our Left To Our Own Devices), we’ve found audiences respond much better if each piece is its own world.  Try to make each scene unique in style, production values (that’s costumes, props, sets, lighting), pacing, theme, etc.

If each piece is unique, it helps keep the audience engaged.  They don’t get Zoom boredom quite so quickly.  So really lean into each individual scene because every five or ten minutes, it’s something fresh and new.

Make connections.  Just because we’re all in our own homes for rehearsal, we don’t want to lose that sense of camaraderie.  In normal times, we talk, we joke, we bond, we’re all in the same space, working for a common goal.  It’s important to still find a way to create that team feeling of connection.  Believe us, if you have a cohesive cast, your audience will feel that energy in the performance.

We’ve found it helps to take some time at each rehearsal simply to gab.  Just to check in and talk to each other.  Get them engaged with the whole community.

One way is to ask questions.  “Who found a new show on Netflix this week?”  Suddenly everyone is talking about Enola Holmes or Queen’s Gambit or whatever.  They’re sharing, they’re talking.

Give people homework.  “Next rehearsal, everyone bring a picture of your pets.”  Or “Let’s talk, cats vs.  dogs, parakeets vs.  hamsters.”

This time is important both to the health of your cast and the strength of your production.  It’s hard to build a community when everyone is stuck at home.  So take the extra time.

One thing we’re doing that has really taken off is a Secret Santa with the cast of our holiday show.  Those that wanted could put their name in a hat, and we each drew our gift recipient.  Okay, hard to do secret online, but still fun.  No more than $5.  If it’s not holiday season, do a Not-So-Secret Buddy thing.

Really, it’s been fun.  ‘Cause we’re able to reach out via Facebook, Zoom, Facetime, email, text, or whatever.  We talk with our buddies, find out what they like, what they are into.  The gifts don’t matter.  Some people are doing electronic gifts.  Here’s a playlist of songs I think you’ll like.  Here’s an iTunes gift card, try some music you normally wouldn’t.  Here’s an Amazon card, get a book you normally wouldn’t read.  It’s just a way for people to connect.

Virtual Theatre is not live theatre, but we’re stuck with it for a while, so embrace it.  Focus on the production values, the blocking, the creation of unique scenes, and the bonding within your group.  You’ll be amazed how good your Virtual Theatre production can be!  You rock.