Adventures in Cyberformance
experiments at the interface of theatre and the internet

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Abstract

This thesis examines the new theatrical form of cyberformance (live performance by remote players using internet technologies) and contextualises it within the broader fields of networked performance, digital performance and theatre. The essential qualities and criteria of cyberformance are identified, and illustrated with examples from the early 1990s to the present day. Two cyberformance groups - the Plaintext Players and Avatar Body Collision - and UpStage, a purpose-built application for cyberformance, are examined in more detailed case studies. The specifics of the cyberformance audience are explored and commonalities are identified between theatre and online culture. In conclusion, this thesis suggests that theatre and the internet have much to offer each other in this current global state of transition, and that cyberformance offers one means by which to facilitate the incorporation of new technologies into our lives.

Adventures in Cyberformance: experiments at the interface of theatre and the internet
by Helen Varley Jamieson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 New Zealand License.