Abstract
The original, live iteration of the inaugural Reunión Revolución, a Latinx New Works Festival, was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While disappointing, the cancellation of the live event forced the team to be innovative about how to utilize technology to provide access to brand new theatrical works. The solution was to partner with the local NPR station to broadcast recorded productions of audio plays commissioned specifically for the reconceived Reunión Revolución Radio. The unexpected change in medium provided the festival an even wider reach, and possibly a larger impact, than it would have had in its original conception. The partnership with the local NPR station created the opportunity to host the festival in a radio format for the entire month of September 2020 in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month. This new format allowed for a core mission to be fulfilled: to diversify, increase, and deepen participation in the humanities from community members in the El Paso/Juárez region, and to increase exposure and representation for Latinx playwrights and scholars. The utilization of a new technology allowed for actors, playwrights, directors, coordinators, and sound designers to develop their craft in a truly unique way. Faculty, students, artists, scholars, and the community were able to learn, grow and connect, even in quarantine.
Presenters
Adriana DominguezAssistant Professor, Theatre and Dance, UT-El Paso, Texas, United States Georgina Escobar
Visiting Professor of Practice, Department of Theatre and Dance, University of Texas El Paso, Texas, United States Kim Mc Kean
Assistant Professor , Department of Theatre and Dance, University of Texas at El Paso , Texas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2021 Special Focus: Considering Viral Technologies: Pandemic-Driven Opportunities and Challenges
KEYWORDS
Theatre, Latinx, Radio Drama, New Work
