In The News!
TAPE Receives NYC Citi Artist Corps Grant - Live Screening
TheSharedScreen was proud to present the first in-person screening of TAPE, with funding from the New York City Artist Corps Grant, and help from the generous hosts at the Plaxall Gallery! The artists and guests took this incredibly intense ride on the BIG screen. The screen was followed by an in-depth discussion of the subject material, and the future and past of the virtual medium!
TheSharedScreen’s scorching new Zoom production of Tape — the 1999 play turned 2001 indie film starring Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman — is a successful experiment in embracing the present virtual reality of theater. Essentially, Tape succeeds because of the basics — good writing and good acting. Together, under the superb direction of John Dapolito, these elements create a tense atmosphere that I squirmed to escape and yet was sad to leave when it ended.
By adapting Tape so that Zoom is integrated into the piece from the bottom up, Davidson normalizes the format, effectively rendering the video call platform, such an encumbrance in other pandemic pieces, almost invisible. By making the format incidental to the piece, Davidson allows the keen writing and brilliant performances to shine without being upstaged by this weird new medium.
Dapolito hardly allows his actors to sit still physically, emotionally, or vocally. This variation — different notes hit at different times — makes for a dynamic visual tableau and compelling storytelling.
The setting is one many of us have become familiar with: Zoom... We become, therefore, involved directly in the relationship between Amy (Chelsea J. Smith), Vince (Travis Schweiger), and Jon (Neal Davidson). It is as if we are in the call ourselves...This production is recommended for those who are interested in exploring the ways that new mediums can enhance or alter the theatrical experience.
Mike Moreno, a NYC actor who's goal is to help actors "understand how an acting career is like running your own business" interviews Neal Davidson about his 10-month journey from pandemic lockdown to having his adaptation/production of TAPE named "Theater to Stream" by the New York Times. Neal fits the bill for Mike's mission to help actors create their own success through "knowledge and skills that allow actors and artists to embrace their creative entrepreneur spirit and the reality that you both run and own your own business from the moment you choose to be a professional."
An insightful and entertaining interview with Chelsea J. Smith (playing Amy in TAPE) by LA podcaster/actor Johnny Keatth. Chelsea and Johnny talk about Chelsea's career as a dancer, producer, and actor. They explore her unique experiences in helping create this new virtual dramatic medium and to "go for it" in the challenging role of Amy in our production of TAPE.
Definately worth a listen!
With theater taking all kinds of new forms these days, TheSharedScreen Co. has discovered "dramatic betweennness" - a device that draws the audience in by having them witness a Zoom call between characters. Neal Davidson, Travis Schweiger, and Chelsea J. Smith join us to talk about working together on a production of Stephen Belber's play "Tape" - presented live as a Zoom call!
This interview with Neal Davidson published in Mixing it Up Productions' newsletter provides an in-depth look at the origins of TheSharedScreen, the discovery of the power of this new form of online theater, the challenges and opportunities it presents for artists, and its potential for changing the ways we see each other.
TheSharedScreen’s powerful adaptation of Stephen Belber’s hit play Tape—featured last month in DC Metro Theater Arts (Using Zoom in a new way to create theater that transforms how we see)—returns live online for six performances only, Fridays and Saturdays February 6 to 20, 2021. Tape is a stunning demonstration of the intense intimacy and hidden potential of virtual theater.
TheSharedScreen's riveting adaptation of Stephen Belber's hit play TAPE returns February 5-7, 12-14. To experience the intense intimacy and hidden power of virtual theater, TAPE is a must-see. This is not staged, streamed, or post-produced. It is a live performance of a hit play, fully adapted from stage and film to a video call.
If You Love Theater, Don't Miss TAPE:
A Riveting Live Production That Defines
NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TheSharedScreen's powerful adaptation of Stephen Belber's hit play TAPE returns February 5-7, 12-14. TAPE is a stunning demonstration of the intense intimacy and hidden potential of virtual theater. It is a full play written and performed as a video call. A woman and two men, a highschool love triangle, are forced to confront accusations and denials of rape 10 years later.
DC Metro Theater Arts - Guide To The Online Medium and "Dramatic Betweenness"
This article written by Neal Davidson discusses the fundamental principles of "Dramatic Betweenness" and provides a comprehensive guide for all theatermakers who wish to write, direct, act, or produce in this extraordinary new dramatic medium.
Going from live to virtual is a test of creativity in itself. But when a theater piece not only manages to deliver its message in a new format, but also incorporates that new format into the play itself, AND take it to new levels, then it can make for an artistic revelation. Such is the case with Stephen Belber’s provocative 1999 drama Tape, which ... has now been adapted for the virtual format by Neal Davidson (who also stars in the play) and is directed with multi-faceted verve by John Dapolito.