Theater in the Time of COVID: Playhouses are closed but the show must go on--and some Zoom performances are powerfully affecting experiences.

COVID-19 pandemic; THEATER; WEIR, The (Theatrical production); MCPHERSON, Conor; ONE-person shows (Performing arts); BUYER & Cellar (Theatrical production)

The author reflects on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on theater which happens in a shared and defined space. He describes the struggle to create the illusion of shared presence in plays viewed on Zoom, a recommendation on turning theater into a kind of film as exemplified by a revival of the production of Conor McPherson's "The Weir," and some observations on theater pieces such as the one-man show "Buyer and Cellar."