B·O·N·D International Virtual Live Performance Festival

Dramaturgy student Yibin (Bill) Wang is the Associate Director of the Artistic Department for the inaugural B·O·N·D International Virtual Live Performance Festival. The festival aims to provide a virtual stage for creators while they are at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to soften the restrictions brought by distance. 

B·O·N·D Fest was born out of the COVID-19 artistic desert and encourages artists and community members to rebuild bonds. B·O·N·D, which is an acronym for Beyond Our New Distance, began its grassroots operation by encouraging submissions from artists across the globe, with the sole requirement that artistic submissions include virtual live performance. Live performances of all kinds were invited to submit to a festival that is dedicated to inspiration without boundaries. 

In a statement, the artistic team asked “What do you miss the most from the pre-COVID times?” and inspired creators to take part in sharing their craft with broader audiences from all around the world. The festival includes dance performances, music installations, theatrical performances, discussion panels, lecture style speeches, and virtual reality. Many of the events have interactive opportunities during the live streaming, inviting viewers to bond with creators during the performance. 

Wang is a dramaturg and theatre maker from Hangzhou, China. During his undergraduate studies at Bard College, Wang wrote and devised Our Grandparents/旧识. Wang was most recently seen playing various characters in the NY Times critically acclaimed live cyber performance of Caryl Churchill’s Mad Forest, directed by alumna Ashley Tata ’12. 

All 25 live B·O·N·D Fest performances are available for streaming on YouTube and Twitch. The festival began on September 4th and continues through October 4th.