Loyola University Chicago

Theatre

Department of Fine and Performing Arts

Journey to a Virtual Stage

How Theatre students have creatively adapted to the pandemic
By Grace Ingram


When the COVID-19 pandemic hit this past March, students in the Theatre program at Loyola were unsure of how they would be able to continue with their program and be able to perform. Theatre, after all, is a place based, collaborative art form.

The students had already been cast in their play Scenes from the Odyssey in January and had begun rehearsing, but everything was put on hold when they were sent back to their homes. Then, they learned they would resume rehearsal and all preparations for their fall performances–completely virtually.

To say the least, it required some re-thinking.

“It was probably the most difficult piece of theatre I’ve ever been a part of, said Greyson Smith, a junior in the program who played Odysseus. “It’s also three hours long,”

The September performances of Scenes from the Odyssey were done live via Zoom webinars. The webinar format allow only the performers to be seen on screen, and the comment sections were made available to the audience during intermission as well as at the end of the performance for reactions, comments, and virtual applause.

Students were performing from their homes, by themselves or with roommates who are also in the program. Essentially, the students became their own crew for lighting, sound, and costumes.

“We were all sent big bins full of props and costumes, as well as 15x15-foot green screens. Mine gets hung from my closet to bedroom door, and my bed becomes my prop and costume table,” said Levi Welch, a junior who portrayed Hermes.

DYI tech work was not the only challenge for the actors in a virtual space. Because the students are acting mostly by themselves–unless they have a roommate in the program–they do not get to physically interact with the other characters. They aren’t able to gauge audience reactions as they normally would in a theatre.  This proved a little awkward at times, such as during their final bow, or during comic moments where they are accustomed to hearing laughs. There was not the energy derived from a relationship with an audience in the room. However, they also found that it took some pressure off.

The new normal was daunting at times, and because of graduation and schedule changes some students had to drop from the production. Yet some graduating students stayed on and, surprisingly, the virtual format offered some creative advantages to the students that they would not have had acting in a full theatre.

“It’s interesting, because my character Circe really benefits from having an intimate relationship with the audience,” said Sarah Gokelman, who graduated from Loyola this past May. The entire audeicne can now see clearly my facial expressions up close, as opposed to only part of the theatre seeing them.”

Many in the cast say that the unprecedented circumstances of these online performances have challenged them in the best ways. They had to focus on different aspects of their craft and look at this production in enirely new ways than in past productions.

“I’ve had to imagine so much more, and it’s made me work harder as an actor to be fully invested in the scenes,” said Welch. “I think having to work harder for it, in a show like Scenes from the Odyssey that’s so fantastical, made my performances more believable.”

While unexpected and demanding, virtual performance enabled artistic growth in new directions, by providing the opportunity to gain some experience acting on screen, the students say.

For their next production, The Wolves, there will be no opportunity for any in-person rehearsal like they had in the early spring for Scenes from the Odyssey. However, because their program is smaller and more close-knit, they know they can rely on each other.

“Our professor of theatre and director, Sarah Gabel, said to us over the summer that Scenes from the Odyssey is essentially about a journey that is supposed to take a year but ends up taking 20 years,” said Welch. “There are twists and hiccups, but eventually, they get there. That is what this production has been--so unexpectedly long--`but we’re all very grateful to have created it with this group of people.”

To buy tickets for The Wolves, as well as other productions, visit the DFPA website.