How will theatre look after the pandemic?

Acting on stage while keeping social distance can seem impossible, but playwrights’ creativity also needs to be taken into account.

The black, empty box that the theatre became during recent months inspired Swiss artist Stefan Kaegi to write a new play, reflecting on what the theatre is, and what’s left of it after the show’s over. “Boîte noire – théâtre fantôme pour une personne” (Black box – ghost theatre for one person) premieres Tuesday evening at the Théâtre de Vidy in Lausanne. During the play, which lasts one hour and 20 minutes, the gloved spectator is taken through the theatre’s premises, accompanied by the voice of a guide introducing testimonies from a range of people who make a theatre, and its shows, what it is.