Select Page

Title: Mad Forest

Venue and Format: Zoom Play

Innovation: A landmark event blending live performance and technology—the Bard College Theater & Performance Program’s reimagining of Caryl Churchill’s sly, funny, and surreal account of the Romanian Revolution, was performed live by actors in isolation from 14 remote locations using a specially modified version of Zoom.

The company of “Mad Forest”
(Image courtesy of the Fisher Center at Bard)

Romania. December 25th, 1989. A dictator is executed. A totalitarian regime topples. What happens next? Caryl Churchill’s 1990 play depicts life during and after a repressive dictatorship. Reimagined as a digital presentation by a professional creative team and student performers, this 30-year old work approached from a 2020 point of view powerfully resonates with our current global state.

THEATRE/COMPANY:
Bard College

ARTISTS:
Director: Ashley Tata
Lighting Designer: Abigail Hoke-Brady
Set Designer: Afsoon Pajoufar
Video Designer: Eamonn Farrell

DATE OF PREMIERE: April 10, 2020

COUNTRY: USA

LANGUAGE: English

CATEGORY: Zoom Play, Online

SHOW WEBSITE

REVIEWS:

Brantley, Ben; Green, Jesse; Philips, Maya. “This Is Theater in 2020. Will It Last? Should It?” New York Times. July 9, 2020.

Ro Insider. “New production of Caryl Churchill’s play on Romania’s 1989 Revolution streams online.” Romania-Insider.com. May 26, 2020.

Brantley, Ben. “College Students Colonize the Divided Romania of ‘Mad Forest’: critic’s notebook.” New York Times (Online). May 24, 2020.

Moledor, Payton. “Critically Creative: Recent Grad Develops Online Performance Modification.” UVA Today. May 20, 2020.

 

Gavin McKenzie. (Photo courtesy of the Fisher Center at Bard)

Mica Hastings. (Photo courtesy of the Fisher Center at Bard)

The company of ‘Mad Forest. (Image courtesy of the Fisher Center at Bard)