As venues remain closed and the audiences stay home, performers are learning how to translate the experience of live theatre to a virtual audience. The Dougherty Arts Center will moderate a panel featuring Roxanne Schroeder-Arce of Teatro Vivo, Kate Taylor, Executive Artistic Director of Salvage Vanguard Theatre, and Melissa Vogt, Manager Director of the VORTEX Repertory Theatre, as they discuss their experiences, as well as best practices and platforms to use to successfully develop virtual performances.

Roxanne Schroeder-Arce - Board of Directors of Teatro Vivo

Roxanne Schroeder-Arce is on the Board of Directors of Teatro Vivo, the theatre company she represents today. She is also Associate Dean of Fine Arts Education in the College of Fine Arts and Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to her work as an arts teacher and administrator, Roxanne is a playwright, director and scholar.

Kate Taylor - Executive Artistic Director of Salvage Vanguard Theatre

Kate Taylor is a wandering wonder sponge; a queer interdisciplinary artist, producer, puppeteer, saucy meanderer, and artistic director of Salvage Vanguard Theater. As an artist and administrator, Taylor has collaborated with numerous Austin groups including Glass Half Full Theatre, The Hidden Room Theatre, paper chairs and more. Salvage Vanguard’s virtual production of amendment: the making of an american myth, or the slow sipping of a peacock tea won B.Iden Payne awards for Outstanding Digital Production, Outstanding Performer and Outstanding Direction.

Melissa Vogt - Managing Director of the VORTEX Repertory Theatre

Melissa joined the VORTEX administrative team as Managing Director in 2013. She first appeared on The VORTEX stage in 2003 and has starred in numerous productions. As a tech enthusiast, she initiated livestream performances of new work at The VORTEX with Howlround TV, a national theatrical commons, in 2015. Since the onset of the pandemic, she has livestreamed and broadcasted more than 100 events for The VORTEX, Shrewd Productions, Different Stages, and the University of Massachusetts. Melissa holds a BFA in Acting from Texas State University.