The Digital Stage in Richard Nelson’s What Do We Need to Talk About?

This paper examines the theatrical space and audience and the demonstration of the performative presence in the context of virtual theatre and Richard Nelson’s What Do We Need to Talk About? (2020). The world’s catastrophic situation with COVID-19 caused the performing arts industries to turn to digital faster than ever before, and traditional dramaturgical practice needs to be re-examined. In a qualitative case study based on the work of Nelson, this research examines how the medium of Zoom performance reconstitutes spatiality, liveness, and audience experience. Based on digital dramaturgy, media theory, and the performance concept, this paper demonstrates that virtual theatre does not offer a straightforward alternative to physical theatre, but rather can be regarded as a new aesthetic form that strikes a balance between presence and intimacy through digital interfaces. The study demonstrates that Nelson’s play is a poignant example of the phenomenon known as networked liveness and distributed space, which creates a demand for new storytelling and spectatorship in response to current social and technological conditions.