Work
The Corona Variations
Maker Convergence Theater (Julie Tepperman) · Work date 2020 · Medium telephone · Role work
Description
Six ten-minute plays across one evening, a new call every thirty minutes. Audiences answer the phone with "Converge against Corona!" Three of the six are listen-only, one contains a surprise moment of improvisation, and in two the audience member performs from a script containing only their own lines, sent just before the call. Audiences are told there is no need to mute, and that they may hang up at any time; a helpline was provided. More than 200 performances by the end of May 2020. Toronto clown duo Morro and Jasp performed.
Source. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47312-8_8
Documented in Robert Motum, "Calling from Canada" (2024), pp. 114-117.
Anatomy
Thirteen criteria after Lauren R. Beck. Each carries a source grade: M maker-confirmed, P published, F first-hand, I inferred by the compiler, ? not yet established. Definitions are on the anatomy page.
- Participants listen through headphonesnoI
A phone call; headphones neither required nor mentioned.
- Participants move through space as part of the worknoI
The participant answers where they are.
- Audio technology is necessaryyesP
Six plays delivered entirely by telephone.
- Site-, situation- or language-specificnoI
Placeless; nothing in the form requires a location or circumstance.
- Engages with the history of a sitenoI
No real place's documented history is referenced.
- Created for an urban environmentnoI
No urban dependence.
- Created as an artwork other than theaternoP
A theater company presenting plays.
- Intended to be understood as theateryesP
Motum describes them throughout as plays, by a theater company, in performance.
- Accidental real-world sights and sounds are importantunknown?
Not addressed in the documentation.
Did you experience this? Tell us - Spectator must participatesometimesP
Three of the six are listen-only; in two the audience performs from a script. It varies by play.
- Has live performers other than the participantsyesP
Live performers on every call, including Morro and Jasp.
- Involves game playnoI
No rules, objective or resolution state.
- Uses props other than the listening deviceunknown?
A script is sent before the call, but whether it is printed and handled is not established.
Did you experience this? Tell us
2 of thirteen are still unknown for this work. If you experienced it, you can settle them in a minute.