The pandemic and lockdowns we were facing during 2020 and 2021 had brought new challenges, new experience, and new questions not only for the artists but also for the spectators. Virtual environment came to be framed as a de facto site-specific venue and the only means of contact between artists and spectators. At the same time, spectators (and the artists, as well) were challenged to share not only their presence and attention during a performance but also the very intimate privacy of their homes.
The discussion of Martina Mašlárová and Kenneth Siren’s papers raised several important questions for online theatre: What is the spectator’s experience and how do we recognize or define artistic quality of the theatre online? Can virtual theatre transform our homes into an instrument of imagination? How do the spectators perceive the shift of their own privacy during a performance?