Effing Robots Online: The Digital Dramaturgy of Translating In-Person Theatre to Online Streaming

Translating a stage play to online streaming, which frequently occurred early in the pandemic, benefits from the scholarly and creative practice of digital dramaturgy to explore the relationship between the meaning of a performance, and translating that to digital technology. I discovered this dramaturgy first-hand by filming my solo performance, Effing Robots: How I Taught the A.I. to Stop Worrying and Love Humans, in December 2020 for online fringe festivals. Originally, I created the show as a one-person fringe touring production; I had to consider what of the original stage show must be retained, what must change, and what could benefit from the new medium. How do we translate in-person stage performances to online streaming content? What is the practical, creative process involved, what policies and politics inform these choices, and what is the driving intent? This paper examines my practice as a case study to understand digital/hybrid dramaturgy.