The Zoom Play That Goes Wrong

Date

2021-05

Authors

Hickey, Grace C.

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Abstract

“The Zoom Play That Goes Wrong” is a full-length satire written to be performed in an online medium and taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic. A play within a play, the show features a group of undergraduate and graduate students attempting to put on a modern version of the classic “Romeo and Juliet.” However, during the live streamed performance, everything that can go wrong, does. The use of comedy in this piece is meant to examine the struggles that the theatre community has faced during the pandemic through a more relatable perspective, particularly the difficulty of shifting performances from the stage to an online format. From simple video lag to “Zoom bombing,” the cast and crew of “Remy and Jules: A Modern Verona” attempt to overcome a multitude of both technical and personal obstacles that are ubiquitous in the new world of Zoom plays. Through this piece, I aim to shine light on the firsthand experiences of the theatre professionals that have been forced to adapt to a stageless reality through a comedic lens. This thesis is inspired by “The Play That Goes Wrong” by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, as well as my personal experience in Zoom productions during the pandemic.

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Keywords

pandemic, theatre, Honors College

Citation

Hickey, G. (2021). The Zoom play that goes wrong (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.

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