-Isms

During my 25-year stint as a play production director, I faced several challenges: kids late to practice, costume malfunctions, broken props, ill students requiring a substitution from an understudy.

None of those tests equal what one-act directors are facing during the pandemic.

Kudos to Summerland one-act coaches Julie Harley, Mackenzie McClellan and Sarah Kesting, who have learned to adapt and roll with the flow, so to speak, while keeping student safety at the forefront.

The Nebraska School Activities Association offered modifications for district performances, including the optional use of face coverings by performers, mask requirements for fans, judges, directors and crew members, social distancing measures during performances, a one-hour time slot for performances and consultation with the local health department, on requirements that may be necessary for the day of performance.

Most conference and festival hosts implemented the NSAA’s recommendations for earlier meets.

There’s a method to getting students in the correct mindset prior to a performance. It takes concentration and channeled energy.

One of my favorite times prior to a performance was when our entire cast and crew would line the walls of a classroom, pop a squat, lights out, shades drawn. Actors shut their eyes for the next half hour and made the connection between words and emotion, took that one extra step to bring authentic characterization to their performances.

No chance of them falling asleep while in the dark. The exercise created a synergy among characters and it carried over on stage.

I’m not sure a socially-distanced version of pre-show warmup would work in a confined area. Something about the use of space, filled by more than 50 performers and another 20 crew members, created a rhythm and established the mood. As a director, you discover ways to acclimate.

I caught myself rewinding memories of past performances as I read through notes from an interview with my longtime friend, Julie Harley.

Her comment about the lack of audience response, due to limited capacity, got me thinking about how theater is a mirror of real-life situations. If you have ever acted on stage, you may not be able to see the audience - and you’ve been drilled not to break the fourth wall between stage and people in the seats - but you learn to rely on audience feedback during a performance.

Will a limited audience result in limited feedback? Or, will actors still feel that vibe and either make necessary adjustments or feed off audience responses?

Personally, in the beginning, I am afraid I would feel out of sync and experience a bit of disconnect. But, if all the world is a stage, and it’s time for the opening curtain, you discover how to tailor your performance. It’s a method of coping on stage and it translates to everyday situations.

Eventually, I am sure I would adapt ... I’m sure Summerland’s play production crew did, too.

A live performance - even the lead-up to the opening curtain - is pure energy, a thread of adrenaline that does not end once the final curtain shuts.

What effects will pandemic recommendations have on performance? I hope students see the parallel between life during a pandemic and adapting on stage.

The show, after all, must go on.