Theatre Vs Google: The Age of Self Driving Theatre
A colleague who was directing a college production of Waiting for Godot told me that during rehearsals the sophomore playing Estragon turned to her and said, “If my character is ‘waiting’ wouldn’t he check his text messages?” When I teach Introduction to Theatre, I take “Twitter breaks” so the itchy-fingered freshman can reconnect. When I write plays, I worry about any line that might cause the slightest offense, for as an Artistic Director warned me, “All it takes is one disgruntled patron with an I-phone to start an internet-fueled boycott.” No doubt the digital age has changed the theatre, but the big problem is algorithms.
