Hyperdrama is a dramatic performance generated by playscripts written in

hypertext Hypertext is E-text, text displayed on a computer display or other electronic devices with references (hyperlinks) to other text that the reader can immediately access. Hypertext documents are interconnected by hyperlinks, which are typi ...

. The performance is noted for its split narrative with scenes branching to play simultaneously in an expanded performance space. The audience is mobile, able to follow actors and watch scenes as each individual chooses. Several universities added the study of Hyperdrama to their hypertext and

electronic media Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical means for the audience to access the content. This is in contrast to static media (mainly print media), which today are most often created digitally, but do not require el ...

studies, including the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Tunxis Community College Tunxis Community College is a public community college in Farmington, Connecticut. Opened in 1969, it is named after the Tunxis Native American Tribe and is part of the Connecticut Community Colleges system. Admission Tunxis has an open admiss ...

, and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Description

According to

Astrid Ensslin Astrid Christina Ensslin is a German digital humanities scholar and games researcher, and Professor of Digital Culture at the University of Bergen. She was previously Professor of Media and Digital Communications at the University of Alberta. Enss ...

in her book ''Canonizing Hypertext''(Continuum, London, 2007), the term hyperdrama "was coined by hyperdramatist and theorist Charles Deemer, who understands 'traditional drama as a special case of hyperdrama' (p27)." Ensslin places Deemer's one-act hyperdrama ''The Last Song of Violeta Parra'' in the canon of "first generation hypertext." Hannah Rudman, who wrote "''The Benefactor: a Hyperdrama''" in 1998 with Billy Smart, describes the form this way:

"A hyperdrama is a play that is written in hypertext, that is performed as a promenade and that is realised on multiple levels. Scenes happen simultaneously throughout a performance space. In this hyperdrama, there are five different locations where the action takes place. The scripts for the different locations are divided into levels which represent the time span of the piece (about 45 minutes real time). All the characters and locations in this hyperdrama are of equal importance. As a reader, you could follow the path of one character through the play by clicking on their hypertext links; read all the separate scripts in a linear fashion; or explore the hyperdrama more randomly by swapping between rooms via the hotlinks."

Discussion of hyperdrama is included in the book Theatre In Cyberspace (Peter Lang, 1999):

"theatre practitioners are increasing their potential audiences with online technology while attempting to discover how to present theatre in an interactive yet non-corporeal way. Also fascinating is how educators and practitioners can collaborate, creating online performance spaces that can be adapted for teaching, and creating online teaching techniques that can be adapted for performance. This volume of essays presents information from some of the pioneers in the field of cyberspace theatre who write of their work in both theoretical and practical terms, thus creating a kind of ''Theatre and Its Double'' for computers and theatre."

Productions

Deemer wrote a hyperdrama expansion of Chekhov's ''The Seagull''. In 2009, the

American Repertory Theater The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

and

Punchdrunk Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse o ...

performed '' Sleep No More,'' "a hyperdrama rendition of ''Macbeth'' with a creepy, Hitchcock feel." Russell Anderson, author of ''Woyzeck: a Hyperdrama,'' calls his play "a performance in the ‘hyperdrama’ format: that is, where multiple elements of performance occur in multiple locations simultaneously." Tegan Zimmerman uses the presentation software

Prezi Prezi is a Hungarian video and visual communications software company founded in 2009 in Hungary, with offices in San Francisco, Budapest and Riga as of 2020. According to Prezi, in 2021, the software company has more than 100 million users world ...

to explore "Hypertext and Hyperdrama" and their relationship online. Other hyperdrama works of note are '' Tamara'' by

John Krizanc John Krizanc (born 1956) is a Canadians, Canadian playwright who established an international reputation with his non-linear work, ''Tamara (play), Tamara''. Exploring the rise of Fascism in 1920s Italy, the play was one of the first non-linear, i ...

and ''

Tony n' Tina's Wedding ''Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding'' is an "environmental/immersive theatre" event based on a traditional Italian-American wedding and reception, with warm and intrusive stereotypes exaggerated for comic effect. Audience members are treated as guests at ...

''.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Benefactor: a Hyperdrama

Description

Productions

See also

References

External links

Further reading