Praxis Theatre

NMA.TV: Also possibly a version of internet theatre

The information and analysis contained in this faux-rap battle about the issues discussed at the recent G20 is more detailed than many actual newscasts

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One can only assume that this analysis of the Wikileaks news story would make Bertolt Brecht very happy.

by Michael Wheeler

Fresh on the heels of our conversation about the the website Xtranormal and the impact it was having on online performance, comes a different take on incorporating a global audience into online performance.

Taipei-based Next Media Animation (NMA) bills itself as “the largest full-service 3D animation studio in Asia” and the company’s corporate profile boasts it can provide “animation to order” with a turn around time of “hours”.  This studio doesn’t just create digital content to-order for other broadcasters however, it also broadcasts it’s own material via NMA.TV. This website animates some of the the world’s most high-profile news events, in what can only be described as Brechtian perspective, with most world powers being represented by archetypes, metaphors, or signifiers.

To further introduce this news coverage to an online audience, the website is heavily integrated with its facebook page (every broadcast finishes with the newscasters urging viewers to “find us on facebook”). Anyone who “likes” the page has the opportunity to become part of the news by having an avatar of themselves represent one of the characters in an upcoming broadcast. At the end of the news segment, the “guest star” is revealed with a quick recap of their “performance”.

Just to be clear – if you get your news through this medium through social media tools – it is possible that you can virtually become part of the news in a credited performance and never leave your computer.

If it’s not theatre – it’s something right?