Virtual Play: Secret Admirer

Play Summary:

Computers are complicated, more so than we realize. They give us a chance to connect with others and communicate with them online. But they also show us that people are not always who they portray themselves. And high school math teacher, Mark Vanhausen has learned this the hard way. Mark is about to be found “not guilty” for his crimes. But there is more to the story, a lot more. And there is one witness who hasn’t been given the chance to tell her side. Who is she, you ask? Don’t worry. Just sit back and listen to Anonymous tell the story of her journey with Mark in “Secret Admirer.”

Creation Journey:

When we started our process, we worked to find a way that we could create a virtual play that would still be engaging for viewers, even after working on Zoom all day long. We wrestled with different ideas across different genres and ultimately settled on doing a creepy thriller about a hacker. After observing many different virtual theatre productions we learned that part of keeping an audience engaged included utilizing the different technological elements that make digital theatre unique. We worked to  And from there, we worked to create a story that utilized strong structural elements as well as intriguing spectacle moments. This included deciding what our timeline and sequence of events looked like, whose story it was, what elements should live or prerecorded, and many more. As we worked through our investigative, editing, and reframing process, we have created a thrilling piece of theatre that keeps audiences on their toes, even through a Zoom screen.

Challenges Encountered:

1. Figuring out screen sharing.
2. Navigating feedback from professors versus our own perceptions.
3. Wanting to do things that the platform does not allow (I.E. screen sharing and sound sharing at the same time, hiding non-video participants).
4. Narrowing down all of our awesome ideas.

Project Successes:

1. Created a specific tone and theatrically on an online platform.
2. Making this piece while being in other shows and being full-time students.
3. Really good communication and collaboration with the group.