UpStage: An Online Tool for Real-Time Storytelling

UpStage is an online platform for real-time interactive performances; in this article two of the originators of the project outline its history and contextualise UpStage within the wider field of digital storytelling. Examples from performances illustrate how UpStage has been used as a collaborative storytelling tool, including two specific examples of the use of UpStage in educational contexts. Techniques for devising and sharing real-time online stories are discussed, and the notion of an "intermedial audience" proposed, recognising the new relationship between remote performers and the online audience. In conclusion the authors suggest that online storytelling has a vital role to play in the shaping of geographically dispersed communities and the ownership of new digital tools and spaces.