The Covid-19 pandemic has brought many issues to the world, while the theatre industry has demonstrated that it is possible to overcome every challenge with the help of creative decisions. Baylor University’s production of the play She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms that have been staged in 2020 is a suitable example. The anti-coronavirus measures resulted in the fact that the play was performed online using a video conferencing platform, which affected the production equivocally. Even though the video conferencing platform led to a worsened presentation, both the actors and the director did their best to make the play’s acting and design perfectly.
Firstly, one should state that dramatic acting is the most noticeable advantage of the given play. Since the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the absence of direct contact between the people on stage and the audience, the actors had to rely on new tools to influence spectators. It refers to the fact that some individuals were forced to represent different personages during the performance, meaning that they should have done their best to show the difference. Consequently, the actors tried to squeeze the most out of their appearance and skills to make it clear to the audience that they represent different characters. The case of Agnes Evans is a suitable example because she appears the most average individual in the play’s physical world (Nguyen 8). However, when she acts as her character in the virtual realm, it was different from Agnes. In addition to wearing new clothes, she expressed firmness and extraordinariness in her actions. In particular, it refers to the scene when Agnes fights and kills the boss (Nguyen 48-49). The dramatic acting of the other characters is also worth considering.
Secondly, it is possible to mention that She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms features exciting design decisions irrespective of the existing challenges. The idea is that the production team was limited in available means and opportunities since it was impossible to benefit from stage scenery. However, there were no restrictions as to enriching design with costumes and makeup. Furthermore, an additional creative decision was found to achieve better results in this domain. It was necessary to make spectators distinguish between the scenes that took place inside or outside the virtual realm. This effect was achieved with the help of drearier themes and dark makeup for the virtual domain. Simultaneously, brighter themes, colors, and costumes were used to denote real-world events. For example, it refers to the scene when shadow figures in a puppet theater window showed how Kaliope, Lilith, Agnes, and Tilly were walking through a forest (Nguyen 20). Thus, the characters’ dark windows with a dominant black color are useful in creating feelings of uneasiness or even danger in the play. This feature is helpful for spectators since it makes it easier for them to understand the play events.
Thirdly, the presentation issue dealt with fundamental challenges because of the video conferencing platform and its peculiarities. Significant weakness was present because the play used pictures where it was possible to deal with motion graphics or a video. Such an approach created the feeling that a slideshow was demonstrated, which destroyed the connection between the audience and the actors. The example occurs in the scene, when so-called body parts were flying up into the frame and out of it to indicate that Farrah exploded (Nguyen 30). This scene evoked comic responses instead of creating a feeling of victory.
Furthermore, it was easy to watch the play when two or three actors only interacted. However, some difficulties appeared when more characters were simultaneously in separate windows on-screen because their parallel actions and movements made it almost impossible to understand who was talking. Thus, a stage that comprised six characters, including Lilith, Kaliope, Agnes, Tilly, Miles, Orcus, is a suitable example (Nguyen 55). Finally, it is also reasonable to comment on additional technical issues. It referred to the cases when either image or sound was absent, which distracted spectators from enjoying the play. These situations are harmful because they deteriorate the impression of the whole play. However, it is worth mentioning that the actors did their best to mitigate these issues. A suitable strategy was to look in the direction where their communication partner stayed. This fact created the feeling that there were no spacial barriers between the actors since they established a kind of eye contact.
In conclusion, it is evident that Baylor University’s She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms has both strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the production against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the one hand, positive features include dramatic acting and creative design solutions in an environment with limited capabilities. On the other hand, an essential disadvantage relates to the video conferencing platform’s peculiarities that make it challenging to navigate the screen when many characters interact, match the sound with the image, and others. However, it has been described that the cast and the play directors did their best to address the given technical issues and mitigate their effect. Since Baylor University did not have experience in dealing with such challenges, the given attempt could be considered successful. Thus, there is no doubt that the play under consideration deserves attention, which means that multiple spectators should witness how the theatre industry can transform external problems into opportunities for development.
Work Cited
Nguyen, Qui. She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms. Samuel French, 2020.