George Lazoglou / Multimedia and Space in Contemporary Theatre

A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams, 2015, Theatro Lexi

Director: Aliki Danezi-Knudsen,
Costume Design: Marina Hadjilouca,
Set Design: Elena Katsouri,
Light Design: Giorgos Lazoglou

George Lazoglou approaches the new media -- analog and digital -- through the performing arts and in particular the theatrical act. Their integration into the dramaturgical narrative is investigated, as well as the concerns that are developed regarding their use. Through a historical retrospection that begins at the end of the 19th century with the discovery of electricity and cinema and their application in theatre, the most important steps in the development of the use of new media in dramaturgy are presented. From Erwin Piscator and epic theatre to the present day, in the era of digital multimedia and the internet, their uninterrupted presence in theatre and art in general has been extremely important. The contemporary research effort of universities such as Kansas and Henry Ford Community College, as well as the experimentation in the work of various artists such as Troika Ranch, Julie Martin, George Coates and the Gertrude Stein Repertory Theatre, have led to a new relationship between the performing arts and technology. Three-dimensional sets with real-time navigation, stereoscopic projections and virtual characters that interact with real actors, compose the puzzle of digital multimedia in contemporary theatre.