Constraints and creativity: Transforming a live artistic experience for children into Zoom

This article explores how the Portuguese ensemble Companhia de Música Teatral (CMT) adapted their live performance PaPI – Opus 8 for Zoom in response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which severely limited in-person gatherings and artistic events. Originally planned for a nationwide tour, PaPI – Opus 8 faced major challenges due to pandemic restrictions, prompting CMT to rework the piece for an online audience. The result was a transformed version titled PaPI – Opus 8.z, crafted specifically for the Zoom video-conferencing platform. The article gives a detailed examination of this performance piece and its reception, providing a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and achievements associated with the adaptation of this live performance to the virtual realm. The article explores the transformation process into an online format, examining both the losses and gains incurred. To facilitate this exploration, an introduction to CMT and a contextualization of their work is given. Subsequently, PaPI – Opus 8 is situated within CMT's body of work, including its "sister" pieces, with a particular focus on evaluating the significance of interaction with the audience during the performance. This is followed by an overview of the pandemic-related constraints and the strategies employed by CMT to continue creating performances. To illustrate these strategies, two other CMT creations developed during quarantine are discussed as pivotal steps on the pathway from PaPI – Opus 8 to the transformed online performance PaPI – Opus 8.z. Cover photo by Companhia de Música Teatral