Juris Žagars: Technology is a necessity for modern theater

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Innovation as a prerequisite

Today’s theater is still in constant search of new forms, and the presence of technology has made previously ideas that can only be realized in dreams. If you look at the beginnings of the theater, then the preconditions for a successful performance, along with the mastery of the actors, were related to natural conditions: light, sound, and whether it was raining on the head. With the development of technology, the theater has also grown with various innovations – sound modifications and amplifications and the use of light technologies have become richer, controlled robotics and live actors coexist on the stage, screens have become an essential element in the scenography. real-time close-ups of actors.

Also in the two bright premieres of the Daile Theater in the spring season of 2022, “Rotkho” and “In the Loneliness of the Cotton Countryside”, the video capabilities accounted for at least half of the visual effect of the show. They were implemented thanks to 5G wireless internet provided by LMT as an innovation partner of Daile Theater. With a worse internet connection, this would not be possible, because continuity and real-time video transmission are very important for the rhythm of the show. The availability of technology is also one of the preconditions for attracting strong partners to create unique performances. The young, internationally acclaimed Polish director Lukash Tvarkowski and John Malkovic, who won Oscars and directing awards on the Daile Theater stage a few years ago, seemed like a dream, but this spring it became a reality, thanks in large part to our ability to realize the director’s ambitions. innovation.

The most important thing – the effect of presence

Next season, we plan to stage Leonard Bernstein’s operetta “Candida” with a symphony orchestra at the Daile Theater, where extensive technology involvement and stable data transmission will also be required. At the same time, the stage of the Daile Theater has already become a kind of industrial heritage and cultural and historical heritage – it was built in 1977, and since then the stage equipment, except for sound and light equipment, has practically not changed. If five million euros were needed to renovate a theater building, all ten million euros would be needed to replace stage equipment, not to mention the electronic component. It is clear that such funds cannot be generated from ticket revenues.

Skeptics might say why invest in local theaters when, with the help of technology, we can enjoy performances almost every night recorded or even live from the world’s best theaters or operas. That will not be true at all. After two years in the shadow of a pandemic, when life was spent on screens, people are willing to pay for live contact. They want to experience everything now and in person. Watching remote theater as entertainment is over with the pandemic, today the viewer wants to feel the special atmosphere of the theater, the most important thing is the effect of presence.

In the future, the impact of technology on theater content will increase, but only in terms of form. Also, for example, we are considering using a drone instead of a camera held by the operator in one of the existing performances, gradually rebuilding the stage so that the transformation of the scenery can be controlled remotely. But the person in the theater will be at the center – both as a creator of ideas, texts and directing, as an actor and as a visitor. At the same time, a modern theater cannot do without an outstanding troupe of actors and talented directors, set designers and stage workers, we also need the support of innovative technologies.

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