houlahanTwitchprimarily hosts gaming-centric content and channels, but that hasn’t prevented creators from seeking out new ways to use the platform. Hasan Piker has built a massive following thanks to his daily news broadcasts, while Alok Kanojia, better known as Dr. K, uses his channel to discuss mental health as it relates to gaming and streaming. Given the recent boom of non-gaming-focused streamers, it’s clear Twitch has a lot of untapped potential, and that’s something actresses Sheila Houlahan and Ellen McLain hope to tap into when their take on Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, 'Night, Mother, premieres exclusively on Twitch later this year.
The upcoming hybrid film (a combination of pre-recorded footage and live performances) will tell a scripted story, which is a far cry from the free-form, deregulated structure of a typical Twitch stream. Houlahan, who serves as both lead actress and producer of the project, hardly thinks that’s a bad thing. While speaking to Game Rant, Houlahan praised Twitch as an excellent venue for narrative-focused works due to the unique interactions it allows to transpire between creators and audiences – something that simply isn’t found in any other medium or platform.
RELATED: Twitch Streamer Asmongold Played a Part in Final Fantasy 14's Spike in Popularity
While considering how to bring 'Night, Mother, which is traditionally performed in an atmospheric theatre, to a Twitch stream, Houlahan chose to double down on what makes Twitch special: interactivity. The performer recalls her biggest takeaway from a meeting with Twitch staff early into the project's lifecycle being: “If the show isn't live, [viewers] will be angry. And if it is live, we need to show that it's live.”
Unlike most other adaptations of 'Night, Mother, which generally depict two performers occupying a shared location, Houlahan and McLain’s version takes place on a Zoom call; this change was made in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which prevented the actresses from meeting in person. But according to Houlahan, the timely setting of this interpretation posed a big challenge when it came to bridging the gap between viewers and streamers.
“Just sitting down and interacting with each other on a Zoom call wouldn't necessarily 'be enough' to show that it is unless we were to literally break character to address the audience, and Ellen and I did not want to do that at all; we wanted to honor Marsha Norman's story."
Houlahan was a little hesitant to say more about how exactly 'Night, Mother would incorporate Twitch's unique qualities, but she was more than willing to share other ways the production would take advantage of Twitch’s live setting. Given the dark nature of the story, its themes of isolation, and harrowing subject matter involving suicide and depression, it’s incredibly likely some may find elements of 'Night, Mother to be emotionally triggering.
In the interest of protecting viewers during the performance, Houlahan explained that Twitch moderators will monitor the chat for alarming messages or signs of distress exhibited by viewers of the production. Upon recognizing such signals, moderators will reach out to those in need to provide them with whatever they can, whether that be mental health resources or simply an ear to talk to. In theory, this approach is a whole step above a content warning, and could allow those struggling with the nature of a stream's content a chance to immediately address their concerns with a live human being – something not typically done at a movie or live-performance theater.
Houlahan greatly admires the passion that fans have for some of their favorite artistic works, but expresses some disappointment at an unfortunate truth behind so many projects. That passion – as strong as it is – almost never impacts the final product. Sometimes this disconnect can lead to fan backlash, as evident by the the fan response to WandaVision. The relationship between art and its consumers is often limited to the latter responding to the former; Houlahan sees Twitch as a platform capable of changing that.
The actress spoke highly of Bernie Su’s Twitch-exclusive show, Artificial, citing it as a novel example of collaborative storytelling. For those unfamiliar with the show, Artificial follows an artificial intelligence trying to become a human – a goal viewers play an active role in. Through participating in the live chat, the audience can vote on important story developments, collectively build a world, and even compose the score in real-time. Houlahan thinks Artificial is just one example of how storytellers can make use of Twitch’s unique qualities, and sees great value in having more interactive works of art like it.
“I'm not saying we should necessarily always pander to [audience desires], but I am saying that having that conversation between filmmakers and fans be open, and having the audience feel like they have a hand in production is more fun for everybody. It’s an innovative use of this emerging platform.”
'Night, Mother will be streaming on Twitch in September 2021.
MORE: Soulja Boy is a Good Case Study on How Celebrities can Break Into Twitch
Source: Twitch
'Night, Mother images courtesy of Eli Reed.
