This study discusses the potentials and challenges of Zoom theatre performances during the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It examines the utilization and applicability of videoconferencing software Zoom, and other streaming software compatible with it, in creating a viable performance option for theatre practitioners and audiences during mandatory social distancing. Such software can be a strategy for social inclusion, alleviating the adverse effects of extended quarantine. The article also discusses the technical and performative aspects of Zoom theatre, pointing out its pros and cons. It uses a critical and analytical approach to performances of two Zoom plays, Pandemic Therapy and Corona Chicken (Part Two), revealing how the playwright, dramaturg, and actors manage to present a live theatrical experience capable of engaging audiences and promoting social interaction. Khaled Mostafa Karam is an Assistant Professor of English Literature at the Suez University in Egypt and a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Cognitive Science, Case Western Reserve University, USA. He has published eleven articles on the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science and drama. Galal Mohamed Naguib is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Suez University and author of several articles in the fields of demographic analysis and the sociology of art.

本研究讨论了在 Covid-19 大流行导致的封锁期间 Zoom 剧院表演的潜力和挑战。它检查了视频会议软件 Zoom 和其他与其兼容的流媒体软件的利用和适用性，在强制社交距离期间为剧院从业者和观众创造可行的表演选择。此类软件可以成为社会包容的策略，减轻长期隔离的不利影响。本文还讨论了 Zoom 剧院的技术和表演方面，指出了它的优缺点。它使用批判性和分析性的方法来表演两部 Zoom 戏剧，大流行疗法和电晕鸡（第二部分）)，揭示剧作家、剧作家和演员如何设法呈现能够吸引观众和促进社会互动的现场戏剧体验。Khaled Mostafa Karam 是埃及苏伊士大学英语文学助理教授，美国凯斯西储大学认知科学系博士后研究员。他发表了 11 篇关于认知科学和戏剧跨学科领域的文章。Galal Mohamed Naguib 是苏伊士大学社会学助理教授，也是人口分析和艺术社会学领域多篇文章的作者。