Tracker Pixel for Entry

Theatre Means Breathing Together

Theatre | October 7th, 2020

by Monika Browne-Ecker

monikabrowne4@gmail.com

Thinking back on February and the beginning of March, I recall conversations I had with my family here and outside of the US about the truthfulness of the news surrounding this new pandemic. Skepticism gave way to concern and real fear as the days went by with news stories from Italy and the death count they reported. COVID-19 became a reality in the middle of March as my colleague and I scrambled to pack our offices as fast and as best as possible to begin work from home.

As an artist administrator, I can easily talk about the tools I use for the administrative and managerial part of my work in theatre. But as an artist, I had to reexamine those tools and quickly make the switch to a completely new arena of performing theatre: the internet.

We now know that live performance is the last to come back to all kinds of theatres in this country. The last few months marked shows on zoom, pre recorded shows being released from the vault of the most popular theatres in the world, and other ways theatre artists tried to maintain their connection to the audience and the art. As an artist in the micropolitan area of Fargo Moorhead, I continued to examine what makes live-ness the sacred part of theatre-making as I logged on to yet another ‘at home’ performance from my laptop. The excitement of hearing the “3…2…1…the stream is live” countdown was intense. But how was it different?

Missing the nearness and the now-ness of a live audience, I remembered that as the live audience watches us, the theatre watches them back. We can’t deny the tactility and participatory nature of theatre by the very nature of air that we share in an auditorium; this sacred, electric air. These thoughts bread in a crisis, also gave me the courage and drive to make more and more theatre available online without involving this air that’s at once a conduit of our shared artistic experience and now a danger to everyone’s health if we don’t use the proper precautions.

I continued to make theatre with my fellow artists at Theatre B in our first season of ‘B At Home’ despite the question that kept rattling around in my head: is it theatre if we don’t breathe the same air? An answer to that question came from a conference I attended in mid-June. It was one of the many conferences and workshops arts organizations put together all over the nation to support each other and to support artists in a time of crisis. One of the presenters said something that continues to resonate with me today: the emblem of Covid theatre is ‘mics on’ and it will continue after the pandemic. It means, we are here and we are ready to listen, respond, and breathe. With theatre done online we may not hear the audience breathe with us, but we trust that they’re there.

With this trust in mind, I continue to seek out opportunities and people who want to make theatre even in these weird, new circumstances. My friends at Theatre B, friends at Concordia College, and individual artists in the FM area, who miss having a conversation with the audience but continue to bend the air into new shapes to bring you theatre in new ways.

[Editor’s note: Monika Browne-Ecker is Operations Manager & Artistic Ensemble at Theatre B.]

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakota communities will join a “nationwide day of defiance” against authoritarianism and President Donald Trump’s policies on Saturday, June 14. A range of "No Kings" events…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…

Fighting the good fightBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Over two thousand rallies took place nationwide June 14 as part of the “No Kings" protest. Ten of those protests were held in North Dakota, with thousands in attendance.…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comA syndrome is defined as a group of signs and symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition and any complex of symptoms of an…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com The weather warmed up quickly here in the upper Midwest this spring, sparking prime eating season. This means burger battles, food trucks and lake-season food travel. The 2025 Downtown Fargo Burger…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com As we continue to deal with the ongoing horrorshow of racism, misogyny and transphobia embraced by the current administration, films like “Sally” can serve as an important reminder that…

By Deb Wallworkdwallwork@icloud.comI first met Catherine Mulligan at a party at her house. It was a small gathering, spontaneous, just a few people over for dinner. Directed toward a stack of plates and bowls and a big pot warming…

North Dakota play about mental health launches Midwest tour in AugustBy Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com A new one-act play inspired by patients buried in the Old Cemetery at the Jamestown State Hospital will tour festivals in…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…