“DIRECTING ON ZOOM”

Image: Rehearsal from Directing on Zoom

written by Elena Araoz - June 29, 2020

When picking a platform for virtual live performance, the artist is picking the location where they will make site-specific work. Most artists turn to Zoom.

Advanced directing students in Katie Pearl’s class at Wesleyan University have shared what they learned while wrestling with this platform made for business meetings and webinars. Katie Pearl and the students created the site “Directing on Zoom” to advise other practitioners and educators who are making work over Zoom. On the site, she and her “Advanced Directing” students discuss practical staging techniques and rehearsal best practices. Student Nathan Baron Silvern’s “A thank you note to Zoom” wonderfully documents the challenges of this site-specific location.