DIGITALIZING THE PERFORMING ARTS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN LATVIA: TRANSFORMATIONOR SURVIVAL TACTICS?

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The article seeks to answer the question of whether the transformation and acceleration of digital content in performing arts during the COVID-19 pandemic are determined situatively or are a naturally stable trend initiated by the development of ICT. It focuses on the theatre industry in order to understand whether theatre performances in the digital environment and the use of digital elements in performing arts do not create a confrontation with the necessary sense of physical presence.The research data showed that the practices of using digital environment elements and digital technologies in the creation of theatre performances were both 1) a short-term solution, as it allowed staging a play, working with actors remotely, as well as creating products that are available to the audience in conditions of distancing requirements, and 2) gave an acceleration to the spread of digital innovations in the theatre industry in general, which was especially manifested in the works of directors who are open to the search for new experimental forms and the ambition of artistic excellence in theatre art, thus generating a long-term development potential. On the one hand, the sense of presence, including physical presence and simultaneity, is still recognized as the most essential feature of theatre and also a certain measure of quality. On the other hand, it is recognized that the possibilities of digital solutions, including artificial intelligence and other technological resources, may also change and erase the boundaries between the real and digital environments in performing arts as well.