#txtshow (on the internet)

Do you believe the title of this show begins with a hashtag?

Yes, it is the real title, and it is more than just your average experimental fringe theatre show. It is a show on Zoom. Now l am sure we are all sick to death of Zoom, especially after our 2021 lockdown, but hold your horses, this show is more than Zoom. It is an online chat room with your friends /audience directing the man on your screen (Barry Feldman) via text messages. Or is he directing us? We as audience members remain anonymous to all other audience members except to our friends.

Let me introduce you to wiz master behind this performance project. As l mentioned earlier, his name is Barry Feldman, he is known across America as the ‘arch conceptualist’ and has been a fringe theatre performance artist since 2003. #txtshow (on the internet)

was devised amid the global pandemic and has received many accolades. The Orlando Weekly, Best of Orlando Fringe 2020 described it as the “Best Artful Adaptation to the Pandemic”. Say no more!!

#txtshow (on the internet) is a seriously fun show. My experience was somewhat of an anomaly according to the Stage Manager (anonymous), as there were only participating audience members and we both remained anonymous. We both texted material to Feldman and he would improvise, spontaneously combust in any or no direction. He sits directly facing us on a white table against a white wall. He wears dark clothing, and, on this occasion, his right hand was bandaged. I texted him a basic question about the bandage (why is your hand bandaged?). He preceded to tell us a story about a friend called Harold and a ferret they met on the way to a farm, the ferret was unfriendly and severely scratched his hand and took a chunk out of Harold’s knee. There was talk of Feldman being a spy, or maybe he was Julian Assange undercover. Feldman claimed he was not a spy. This gives you a general indication of how the show works. We write the script and Feldman plays it out.

Feldman, the conceptual artist, tackles themes that deal with the passage of time, are repetitive in format, and always has an interactive a component. He claims it reveals “more about the audience members than about himself.” To quote Feldman directly, he has said “It’s a little terrifying and fear is a driving force. Fear of the unknown is exciting.”

Flora Georgiou