Musical theater in internet: aspects of form creation and communication

Abstract

The relevance of the study. Renewal of the poetics and aesthetics of modern art is caused by many factors, among which we can single out the intensity of the processes of development of the information society and the emergence of new ways of communication, including artistic ones. As a result, in the recent decades, changes have taken place at the stylistic, genre, and types levels. Works of art have undergone significant transformations, along with the forms of their presentation, as well as the ways of interaction between artists and the viewing/listening audience. Internet with its various resources, including video hosting and social media, became a powerful field of such interaction. The Internet has significantly influenced musical theater in all its many forms.

Main objective of the article is to describe the latest forms of musical theater and the trends set by their functioning in the context of the existence of the Internet as a special theatrical space.

The research methods. The method of analysis and comparative method, as well as the method of generalization, are applied.

Results and conclusions. The problem of the multifaceted influence of the Internet on the musical theater in the entirety of its manifestations is posed. The concept of «virtual theater», which was put into circulation during the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, is considered. The practice of presenting in the Internet of the recordings of «live» performances with the participation of actors in the same physical space, as well as the use of the Zoom platform as a virtual platform (both online and recorded) was established. The discussion on the artistic potential and prospects for the further implementation of new theatrical forms is highlighted. The scope of the concept of «virtual Broadway» (2015) as an Internet space for interaction between musical theater composers and the public is outlined. Attention is drawn to the phenomenon of the virtual presence of the participatory spectator in the discussion of performances in the social media. The peculiarities of the implementation of Michael Roth's work «The Web Opera» (2018) as a kind of hybrid combining the aesthetics and poetics of theater and cinema, the features of established musical and theatrical forms and their transformation are considered. The unity of the specificity of the theme of the work and the stylistics of its embodiment, the system-creating function of music in the formation of artistic integrity, and the social resonance of the opera are noted. The readiness of the musical theater for the situation of social isolation during the lockdown and the search for new ways of realizing connections with the audience using modern technologies is shown. An example of creating an opera using the resources of the Zoom online platform, as well as a digital remotely performed musical (2020), is considered. A conclusion is made regarding the formation of genre modifications (new types) of opera and musicals as a result of the introduction of modern creative practices.