Artistic Imperatives: Merging Theater and Film

Abstract

This paper examines a series of collaborations that sought new ways to ask (and answer) the following questions: How can we create an alternative perspective on new media within the context of living performance, through cutting edge technologies? How can we actively engage post-modern performance theory in relation to compositional concerns for the stage, creating innovative uses of time, space, and imagination, and introducing new frameworks for critical analysis? Combining theater and film allows us to capture and manipulate new forms of acting and playwriting, and new directorial approaches to visual layering. We openly acknowledge our view that the current American theater has great difficulty understanding the role of its own avant-garde: that to grow and thrive, the medium must keep searching for a truly viable cutting edge. These works represent that edge, coming together during performances that operate on several visual and audial levels. The work strives to keep step with the developing academic and artistic field of new digital technologies.