The Wasteland Theatre Company is a drama troupe founded in 2021 that showcases classic plays within the Fallout 76 world. The group performs plays by various playwrights including William Shakespeare and puts on performances during live Twitch streams. With the help of community streamers, performances, although only lasting an hour, follow the original script of the plays they produce, bringing to life classic art in a technological manner.
In a recent interview with Northern Harvest, the artistic director and founder of the Wasteland Theatre Company, Game ZXC gained insights into the formation of the group and how they operate. Harvest shared details about their unique approach to performing, the process of choosing plays for Fallout 76, and the technical aspects that contribute to the success of each performance.
The Wasteland Theatre Company was established in the spring of 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The founder, Northern Harvest, explained that the real-life crisis drew immediate parallels to the post-nuclear apocalyptic world of Fallout 76 and the historical context of Shakespeare's era. The closure of theaters in both the Fallout universe and the real world due to crises inspired the birth of the Wasteland Theatre Company.
“Living through a real-life global crisis drew immediate relationships to the post-nuclear apocalyptic world as well as Shakespeare’s own times. In Shakespeare’s time, the stages were shuttered due to the plague, while in our own time, they were closed due to the pandemic.”
According to Harvest, the creation of The Wasteland Theatre Company was the birth of something quite “natural,” as a way to display modern 'post-apocalyptic lives' within a post-apocalyptic setting. In this way, the troupe aimed to revive the performing arts within the game, creating a bridge between the virtual and real-life experiences. As Harvest explained, “When we first decided to perform a full, live play within Fallout 76 we understood immediately that what we were doing fit both the lore of the Fallout universe as well as our own pandemic reality. The arts find a way to survive crisis because the arts are an expression of our humanity.”
Since the group’s inception in 2021, The Wasteland Theatre Company has received plenty of attention from fans, play lovers, and more. Their work was also recently discussed at a panel at the Italian Lucca International Film Festival and the University of Liverpool’s All the World’s a Stage academic conference. According to Harvest, the press is a positive thing for the group, and, while he hopes their popularity will continue to grow, he remains steadfast in the group’s original vision.
“Despite this worldwide attention, we stay focused on our community as our primary audience for our plays: gamers in the Fallout 76 universe, of which there are 13 million around the globe."
The concept of merging theatre with video games has gained traction in recent years, with various groups and individuals exploring this innovative approach. While there have been instances of theater performances within MMORPGs like Final Fantasy 14 and even adaptations of plays in games such as The Sims 4 and GTA 5, the Wasteland Theatre Company stands out as a dedicated troupe within Fallout 76. Their goal is to celebrate and adapt plays, while remaining open to participants of all experience levels.
“What makes our troupe unique is that we are a dedicated troupe within a video game, created solely to explore, celebrate, and take risks in adapting and performing plays while being open to anyone, regardless of experience. We try to be as organic and raw as possible in everything we do. It is the Wasteland after all .”
The Wasteland Theatre Company’s success is fostered by their creative freedom. According to Harvest, the Wasteland Theatre Company cherishes the creative freedom it has while adapting Shakespeare's plays within the Fallout universe. While their productions remain true to the essence of Shakespeare's storytelling, they do make certain modifications to suit their unique setting. One aspect they preserve is the language and rhythm that Shakespeare employs, avoiding the use of modern language in their performances.
However, they adapt the setting to align with the Fallout universe and often make careful cuts to the text to ensure their shows fit within an hour's runtime. These adaptations prioritize retaining the plot while eliminating sections deemed irrelevant or potentially disengaging for the audience. “Shakespeare’s plays tell a story, and we really try to keep that story central to our production,” Harvest said. “Our process of adaptation takes care not to lose the plot, but we might lose entire sections of the play we feel are not relevant or might lose our audience.”
The constraints of performing on public servers also necessitate role doubling and even merging characters to accommodate the limited number of individuals allowed on the server. An example of this merging is seen in Coriolanus, where Volumnia, Virgilia, and young Martius are combined into a single character, aiming to preserve Shakespeare's intended message while optimizing the performance within their limitations. “Every performance we learn something new, what works, what flops, but we enjoy every moment of it,” Harvest said.
The Wasteland Theatre Company's current success in the Fallout 76 community is driven by a profound love for their craft. They find immense joy in pioneering the concept of live theatre within a video game, recognizing the potential to contribute to the history of Shakespearean performance.
“We love what we do. Live theatre inside a video game is still a relatively new concept, and we are overjoyed thinking about how we might be contributing to the history of Shakespeare's performances.”
Their motivation is fueled by the knowledge they are making artistic history utilizing a highly unique medium. This novelty has attracted the attention of scholars and enthusiasts of Shakespeare, as it represents a fresh and innovative approach to delivering his works to audiences across the globe. The company even anticipates that their pioneering efforts will be featured in academic research and become a source of joy for future scholars, reinforcing their commitment to pushing boundaries and creating theatrical experiences that leave a lasting impact.
“That sense of doing something historic alone really motivates ourselves and our audiences who are witnessing these shows in this medium for the first time,” Harvest said. “We will surely be in someone’s master’s thesis someday, and that brings me joy.”
Fallout 76 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.