In this increasingly wired world, where little is sacred and people literally vie for the opportunity to reveal their lives to the world, is it any wonder that the phenomenon of verbatim theatre is making its presence felt within the global arts firmament? But are blog-based stage events a theatrical flash in the pan, or the start of a new creative movement?
At this years Edinburgh Festival, long recognized as an influential barometer of changing cultural and artistic trends, a number of performances based on blogs were on show. Girl Blog From Iraq: Baghdad Burning was based on the writings of 27-year-old “Riverbend” and her daily record of life in Iraq. While Oliver Mann’s play Bloggers – Real Internet Diaries was based entirely on the day to day experiences of a number of real life British bloggers.
