August 27-30, DSF’s Digital Internship Program will present an Online Theatre Festival featuring three exciting projects. One project will be a world premiere: Buried by Guinevere Govea. Click here for Blog Post #1.
Blog Post 2: What is Twitch?
Over the past few years, there have been an influx of live streaming services to grace the presence of the internet. Many social media sites, such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, have incorporated live streaming into their platforms, allowing for anyone with an account to live stream. This allows for anyone to share their lives in real time, being able to reach audiences throughout the entire world. While many of the live streaming services within pre-existing social media sites are very popular and effective, video gamers felt the need to have their own platform to share their love of video games with likeminded people, which led to the creation of Twitch.
Initially founded in 2011, Twitch has become a go to spot for gamers to both stream themselves, and for their fans to come watch their favorite creators. The site features almost any game imaginable, from Fortnite to the Sims to Minecraft and beyond. However, Twitch is not a gaming exclusive platform, as people use it for Q&As, cooking, or even live theatrical productions, such as Buried.
The world of Buried is truly encapsulated by the world of Twitch. Lexi Simmons, the first character the audience meets, is a popular Twitch streamer who is famous for her ghost hunting videos. With her stream, you see a very active fanbase, taking advantage of the chat feature on Twitch to engage with what Lexi streams. Inspired by Lexi, the protagonists Riley and Rory create their own channel to stream their own adventures on.
When asked about why she wanted to use Twitch as the platform to premiere Buried, author Guinevere Govea said, “I wanted to stream this play on Twitch because I love how interactive and accessible the platform is to its audience members. Because of features like live commenting, streams are often very personal between audience members and streamers, and I believe relationships between audiences and actors are what make theatre, well, theatre. Additionally, I know a lot of Gen Z loves to use this platform (including my younger brother), so I thought it would be appropriate for the world of the play.”
So what do you need to know about Twitch in order to watch Buried on Friday August 28th? While it may seem overwhelming at first, the actual site is relatively easy to use. In order to watch the show, you don’t even need an account, only the link to watch. The show will be streamed live at 2:30pm PST, and a recording of that stream will be streamed on YouTube the following day at 2:30pm PST.
by Emily Holzman
DSF Digital Internship Program Participant