Going digital in a small city hub

Abstract

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the screen arts in the form of video production, Zoom recordings, and the posting of videos on YouTube and Facebook have become important tools to maintain community activities even while physical interaction is impossible. They provide a semblance of normalcy by facilitating a social “everydayness” in the face of dramatic disruption. While many essays in this volume focus on the impact of the pandemic in the large metropolis, this essay is concerned with the community life of the smaller city. More specifically, this essay addresses the value of screen culture in two key areas: the production and performance of community theater via Zoom;and the use of video technology and platforms for the recording and viewing of online canine sports. This essay argues that the shifting of face-to-face interaction to various forms of online and onscreen expression has created new ways of connecting performers and audiences while preserving a sense of “everydayness” during a time when in-person interaction is extremely limited. © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Irene Gammel and Jason Wang;individual chapters, the contributors.