Lockdown Theatres of Sadness: Case studies of precarity in artistic work

Abstract

I look at digital theatre made under the COVID-19 lockdown in Romania – specifically Exeunt, a collective creation directed by Bobi Pricop, POOL (no water), where Radu Nica, Andu Dumitrescu and Vlaicu Golcea repurpose Mark Ravenhill's text, and finally Ștefan Peca's one-man show mynewplay? – from the perspective of precarity and work-induced sadness. Through their alluring video art or funny rants against the theatre, the three projects stage anxieties about the future, labour grievances and commentaries on the art market. Theatre artists' resilience during the time of lockdowns reflects both artistic ingenuity and the practiced survivalism of the cultural worker under neoliberalism.