The options for viewing theatre via the internet just keep on coming.  One work-around that has been used by some of the productions I’ve watched is the use of “green-screen” technology.  Actors perform from their own locations in front of green screens; the scenery is then added for the viewer.  (Think of the way the weather forecasters work “in front” of maps.)  The first production of this type that I saw was “The Weir,” via the Irish Repertory Theatre.  This play, by Conor McPherson, has four characters, each of whom tells a story of mystery and sorrow at a pub on a stormy night.  The green screen technique was not very convincing.  Only one actor could ever be in a shot at a time.  Stage business such as handing someone a drink was managed by the drink being passed out of frame by one person, then “taken” from out of frame by the recipient.  As good as the writing and acting were, the limits of the technology were a frustrating obstacle to my enjoyment of the play.  I was surprised to learn that the IRT was planning to “stage” the musical “Meet Me In St. Louis” using the same technique.  How, I wondered, would they manage to do justice to a much more populated production?  Well, they really stepped up their game for that one.  Actors were still performing from their own safe locations, but the use of green screen was much more sophisticated.  There was still some of that awkwardness of items being passed from one screen to another, but they managed to pull off crowd scenes (who remembers “The Trolley Song?”) very convincingly.  The rehearsals that went into getting each cast member to stand in the exact right spots, perhaps in their own living rooms, must have been very exacting.  I was amazed to see the whole family unit gathered for grand finale.  Still not a substitute for live theatre, but bravo to all the talent involved.

Another socially-distanced effort was “The Jacksonian,” by Beth Henley in the form of a benefit production by The New Group.  The star-studded cast–which included Ed Harris, Bill Pullman, Carol Kane and Amy Madigan–performed from the safety of their own homes without the attempted benefits of green-screen technology.  Each character appeared in his or her own screen, with only a few appropriate hand props to set the scene.  A voiceover provided stage directions that included a description of the scene and the progress of time.  This play was new to me and this was a perfectly satisfactory to experience it.  The cast was uniformly excellent, as was the cast in a similarly produced version of “Night of the Iguana,” by Tennessee Williams.  “Iguana” had speaking characters in their own screens with stage directions again provided via voiceover.  It was a treat to watch Dylan McDermott and Phylicia Rashad play the defrocked priest/tour director and the owner of the hotel in Mexico where the tour bus stops.  Again, not a substitute for live theatre, but a completely satisfying way to enjoy a play by one of America’s masters.

A very funny and successful response to the limitations of quarantine is “Staged,” which is a series on Hulu.  “Staged” allows us to be present at the Zoom conversations between David Tenant and Michael Sheen, whose fictitious play has been suspended because of Covid.  A shot of a Zoom screen looks right at home on a TV screen, and these two terrific actors show us all the despair, ennui, restlessness and envy that the pandemic has inflicted on them.  And did I mention that it’s very funny?  There are lots of good laughs and surprise cameos from well-known actors.  Each episode is only 22 minutes long, so they can be taken in small doses or be run together in a very manageable binge.  I’ve watched all of season one and have just realized that there is now a second season!  I look forward to chuckling my way through that as soon as I can get to it.

Please find a source of information about streaming theatre and theatre-related content to tide you over during this pandemic.  Many of these productions are free, although a donation will be suggested, and others are available at a modest cost.  If you want there to be theatre after the pandemic, we’ve got to take care of theatre professionals while the theaters themselves are off-limits.