Across the country live theater productions have been put on hold or cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. From community theater to Broadway, shows have changed drastically for everybody within the community. As SFCC follows COVID procedures to keep students safe, the theater department has had to creatively think outside the box to keep their shows running and not end up like many colleges who have had to put a pause on shows indefinitely.
Ashley Demoville who is the Director of Drama for SFCC shared the specific challenges that have affected their shows.
“ Since we can’t film in person and are working with theatre scripts, the process has involved combining elements of film, theatre, and ZOOM! Being apart has been a huge challenge and has forced us to reimagine how we see our work.”
Ashley said not only have they come up with creative solutions to meet proper safety guidelines but they have turned those solutions into learning opportunities for students.
“Our program always teaches creative problem solving, but this experience has pushed students to think and create in a whole new way. We’ve been filming things over zoom and have taken the opportunity to teach students about cinematography techniques.”
Ashley also notes that while many other colleges shut down last year for their Spring shows after COVID, through the hard work of the cast and crew they were able to make it work in a movie format instead.
While the faculty here have had to creatively find ways to adapt the show for it to go on, the student actors have had to adapt to the new way they are now performing. Second year student, Megan Jones, shares how these changes have affected her.
“The worst thing for me is the lack of an audience. A big part of theatre is drawing the energy from the audience and using it to your advantage, so every show is different depending on how the audience chooses to interact with you.”
Both Megan and Ashley mention that while it can be challenging to do shows without the connection of an audience or peers, the theater department has done everything possible they can to bring great shows to students at SFCC and are proud of all the hard work everyone has put into them.
As for this Fall there are two shows being put on via Zoom. One of which is called “Another One” and will be shown both Fridays, November 13th and 20th and as well as Saturdays, November 14th and the 21st all at 7:30 P.M.
Their second production “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus” will be Fridays, November 27th and December 4th and Saturdays, November 28th and December 5th all at 7:30 P.M.
The links to reserve tickets to these shows plus more specific details about the shows themselves can be found on the SFCC web page under the “Spartans theater ” page.