What is the impact of our digital technologies on theater, really? When looking at what happens on stage, we mostly see people doing things without technology. The world represented by theater seems mostly to be a world without internet, smart phones, or even desk top computers. A world without search engines or social media. Only slowly do dramas touch on these subject matters – even though our reality is completely interwoven with the digital world. Also in terms of technology, theater for the main part tries to rely on the “pure” physical way, bodies communicate with speech, mime, gestures, movement etc. Post Theater has long departed from this purity and aimed at showing the complete human being in the 21st century – as a body interconnected with all kinds of digital and analogue technologies – that both profit and hinder people in multiple and simultaneous ways. This workshop combines analytical reflection of the digitalization of every-day-life and the level of technology displayed in the performing arts as well as the technologies used for a performance. Then, the workshop explores ways to be playful with these technologies on all levels – be it as source of inspiration for play-writing, as new ways of designing a stage, finding new performance techniques, methods of acting or dancing etc.
This workshop has been conducted by Post Theater in many variations since 2002 and around the world – always catching up with the local level of digitalization, trying to relate to the local discourse and finding universal commons. “Theater of the Digital Age” is truly meant for all levels of experience – with both the performing arts as well as digital technologies. This is the place where Post Theater shares their own experiences and methods, drawing from more than 20 years of artistic practice between performing arts and media arts (analogue at first and now mainly digital).