BWW Blog: We Gotta Get An Upgrade

The Zoom lag has taken its toll on all of us multiple times this year. A person's camera may freeze, their audio may not work, or their audio may not sync up with their camera. Not only do these circumstances annoy other members of the meeting, but they also hinder the ability of the performing arts to take shape in a live virtual format. The technical limitations of video conferencing platforms exacerbate the difficulties of rehearsing and presenting a theatre production online. After a week of sitting on the audition panel for a virtual play and beginning rehearsals for a virtual musical, I have recognized two major challenges that Zoom creates for theatre makers.

Primarily, it is incredibly difficult to sing with other people. There is a slight delay in audio on Zoom which means multiple singers may have different rhythms and tempos that do not line up. This complicates not only keeping the song together, but also maintaining harmonies and creating a comprehendible narrative for audiences. Luckily, there are programs that mitigate this lag, such as Mumble, by simply creating an audio channel that multiple people can join across the world. In the show I am performing in, we simply mute ourselves on Zoom, then use Mumble to communicate with each other. This program shortens the lag time, yet it does not completely resolve the issue. Sometimes songs come together well, and other times there is a cacophony of noise. We must investigate other programs that remove lag from the equation and allow for the synchronization of audio with a separate video file.

Furthermore, Zoom's high degree of reliability on extremely stable internet connection leads to abrupt pauses in performance or a delayed reaction phenomenon. If one actor's internet connection is unstable, then they may be immediately kicked out of the Zoom meeting or not able to communicate with other actors for a few minutes. If an actor is kicked out, then the rehearsal or show must pause until the actor regains internet connection. If an actor is prevented from communicating with other actors, they may lose track of where the show is and miss a cue. Moreover, unstable internet connection can cause one actor's Zoom to be an entire minute behind everyone else's. For instance, Actor A may say a line that Actor B must respond to, but Actor B may not hear this line until a minute after Actor A actually said the line. Actor B would miss their cue and end up coming in an entire minute later when the scene has already progressed. This delayed reaction phenomenon takes a while to recognize and even longer to resolve as it is hard to explain to one person that their Zoom is behind everyone else's.

Unstable internet and lagging audio dilemmas underscore the need for alternative programs to sort out technical errors as well as the demand for video conferencing platforms to work towards preventing these errors. Although this is a difficult task, it is vital in order for any live performing arts production to successfully take place in the virtual world. Like in Be More Chill, we gotta get an upgrade, but not of the Squip type.

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