Critical Stages (Dec 2020)

Chilean Crises Lead to Experiments in Online Theatre

  • Pablo Cisternas,
  • Milena Grass Kleiner,
  • Andrés Kalawski,
  • Cristián Opazo

Journal volume & issue
no. 22

Abstract

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In Chile, street protests and COVID-related public health emergencies have ravaged live theatre over the past year. While the political protests starting in October 2019 simply “limited” live theatre programming, the pandemic forced actual cancellation of whole theater seasons. As a result, theater companies and individual artists were forced to consider technology—Zoom readings, filmed Master Classes and video recordings of earlier productions. Beyond aesthetics, for many theatre people these projects became another chance to continue working. In this situation, what role does theatre criticism play? In times of catastrophe, can any critical judgements be ethical?

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