Theatre Meanderings Up Close & Far Away Part 1: Three International Theatre Websites To Look Up
March 31, 2020 6:10:09 PM IST Deepa Punjani
These are difficult and uncertain times. The disruption brought about by Covid-19 may well continue for the better part of this year even if we overcome the present lockdown. As we find ways to cope, here are three international theatre and performance websites that you may find interesting to explore when you spend time online. Some of the recent work that you will discover on these websites is about rethinking and reorienting performance as the notion of distance becomes painfully literal. You may even like being connected to these content-rich websites for future reference.
Exeunt is an online theatre magazine focusing on theatre in the UK and the USA, with a section dedicated to theatre in New York City. It publishes reviews, interviews, essays and even podcasts, among other content. One of the podcasts titled 'The Legacy Tapes' conducted by Rebecca Atkinson is focused on artistic directors of different theatre companies.
Exeunt's new updates include a review of BUBBLE staged by Facebook. This collaborative digital project by the UK-based arts organisation Theatre Uncut, got together people who have never met each other. Other recent Features talk about resources (although for artistes in the UK, some sections are relevant for artistes anywhere), live streaming art and of the paradoxes of creative work at this time.
The Theatre Times launched in 2016 is a global theatre portal. Among its various initiatives, it runs an International Online Theatre Festival (IOTF) in collaboration with Digital Theatre + (another website worth looking up that streams theatre and educational resources). It is currently inviting applications for IOTF's "Open Fringe" programme.
The portal is mainly run by posts from across the world with links to the original source. There is a lot of content ranging from features, reviews to interviews and festival reports. A section called 'Performap' provides ready information about theatre/performance festivals across the world with links to the festival websites.
Critical Stages is an online theatre/performance arts journal published by the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC). It offers a wide range of theatre and performance art writing from across the world. Twenty issues have been published to date. One of the best things about Critical Stages is that it has a combination of content that is rigorous as well as accessible. Each issue of Critical Stages focuses on a topic and the themes surrounding it. There are issues dedicated to contemporary theatre and performance from countries like China and Africa and to more focused topics such as ageism and medicine in theatre.
Under the stewardship of its editor-in-chief Savas Patsalidis, the journal offers in-depth and insightful views on a cross section of theatre from different countries. From India, Ramu Ramanathan and Deepan Sivaraman have been featured in Critical Stages, amongst others.
Also Read other Parts of Theatre Meanderings Up Close & Far Away
*Deepa Punjani has been writing on theatre and reviewing it over two decades. She represents the Indian National Section of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC). As a professional lawyer, she is focused on media and entertainment law. Her freelance journalism also includes legal journalism.
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