Processus de création et pratiques théâtrales sur la scène numérique portugaise
Saturday, June 3rd
Nouvelles pratiques institutionnelles (2ème partie)
Ana Clara Santos and Célia Vieira
10h45 – 11h45
With the rise of high-speed networks and the massification of online presence, interactive systems have incorporated new functionalities that go far beyond the sharing of images and content, allowing other forms of cyber interaction and tele-immersiveness, and potentially transforming the whole world into a cyber stage. In the context of pandemic and containment, Portuguese theatre companies and theatres have accelerated the process of access to theatrical culture through digital platforms as in other countries. In this paper, we propose to reflect on the great transformations that have taken place in the Portuguese cultural context regarding access to theatrical culture, namely forms of off-line access through radio and television (especially from the 1930s) and the advent of the digital stage driven by the pandemic crisis from 2020. This will allow us to interrogate the materialities, the displacement of places as well as the transformation of the spectator’s experience. The research methodology used is based on the description of case studies and the systematization of interview results conducted as part of the research project “Cypet” funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). This research project aims to explore the theory and practice of cyber performance from creative, educational and performative angles, and has confirmed the need to rethink certain creative processes and theatrical practices that are inseparable from new technologies. We will insist on the implementation of online transmissions via streaming platforms in some theatres, notably the National Theater D. Maria II, directed at the time by Tiago Rodrigues (“Small online room,” “D. Maria II at home”) and the questions raised by the democratization of culture and multilingualism (translation projects in foreign languages and in sign language). As we shall see, the performing arts have moved closer to digital technologies, either by downloading recordings of plays and archives, by allowing remote rehearsals or, more specifically, by creating shows for the internet, thus modifying established practices and creating new possibilities for innovation in the whole creative economy.