Virtualness is not actually a word, but maybe it should be.
Here’s my definition: a state of existence or action in which necessary communications are carried out by digital means through computers and networks, rather than with actual physical proximity. Although technology was already cautiously moving some of our activities in that direction, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced society to embrace virtualness more quickly for normal everyday communications like educational processes, concerts, rehearsals, meetings, even newscasts and television.
The term “virtual theatre” is something of an oxymoron, yet here we are, finding new joys in social-at-a-distance experimentation. Flying Anvil Theatre has embraced the idea as a way of carrying on in circumstances that make traditional theatre impossible. They have announced the production of a virtual play, Do You Read Me?, by Katherine Funkhauser. Written with the intention of a production as a live video stream of socially-distanced actors, the play takes place at NASA headquarters and a Mars colony full of average Joes instead of astronauts. FAT describes the piece as a “space comedy about community that resonates with anyone who is getting a little frustrated with social distancing among weird roommates and annoying family members.”
The show is being directed by David Ratliff and features numerous familiar faces to FAT and Knoxville audiences. Do You Read Me? is appropriate for all ages. There are two live streaming times: Friday, May 29, at 8:00 pm and Sunday, May 31, at 3:00 pm.
“We’re learning all kinds of new skills,” Flying Anvil Artistic Director Jayne Morgan says. “We’re exploring how we can produce a play online that isn’t just talking heads, but has some real production value. This show will be both surprising and fun for audiences who join us.”
Do You Read Me? is being offered as a Pay-What-You-Can performance, and reservations can be made now at flyinganviltheatre.com.
