BC senior 雅各布·凯莱赫, director of "Proof,” which kicks off the new season. (李Pellegrini)
Student thespians will take to the 罗布沙姆戏剧艺术中心 stage for live performances this semester. But instead of playing to a full house, their audiences will be virtual.
Among the productions is the premiere of a play conceived last fall by 2014 alumna Maggie Kearnan, 是她专门为大流行期间的表演写的吗. 去年九月之前, 这出戏在她眼里根本不算什么,据导演说, 戏剧教授Scott T. 卡明斯.
“Building on the success of last semester’s productions—both artistically and in terms of safety—the 剧院 Department is putting on four live productions this semester,” said Associate Professor of the Practice and Department Chair Luke Jorgensen.
两个是教师指导的, 包括乔根森的作品, 还有两个是由学生指导的, 他说. Though these student workshop plays are typically presented in the smaller Bonn Studio, “为了给我们最大的安全空间, 这四场比赛都将在罗布舍姆的主舞台上现场直播, using COVID protocols of masking and physical distancing; all will have actors performing via a Zoom format,乔根森说. Student workshops were suspended last semester, due to the pandemic.
“I feel very lucky that I am still able to create theater during the pandemic. 过去的10个月, theaters across the world have been forced to go dark as they await the end of this pandemic. I am so thankful that 电子游戏软件 has allowed its students and faculty to continue creating art.”
推出春季时装是“证明”,大卫·奥本的作品, 2001 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. 充满激情, 关于父亲和女儿的聪明故事, 天才的本质, 还有爱的力量, 导演是雅各布·凯莱赫, 从2月4日到7日.
“Having the opportunity to direct ‘Proof’ this semester has been one of the best parts of my senior year,凯莱赫说. “I feel honored that the 剧院 Department has put its trust in me and allowed me to take ownership of this project and make the show my own. I feel very lucky that I am still able to create theater during the pandemic. 过去的10个月, theaters across the world have been forced to go dark as they await the end of this pandemic.
“I am so thankful that 电子游戏软件 has allowed its students and faculty to continue creating art, and I couldn’t be more thankful that everyone involved in ‘Proof’ has gone above and beyond to create an engaging virtual theater experience that still maintains everyone’s safety,他补充道.
这个月晚些时候, 卡明斯 will direct the debut of Kearnan’s play: “IDK [What This Is],” which centers on six friends who agree to participate in a social engineering experiment in the hope of making a difference in the world, 但事情并没有按计划进行. 展览将于2月25日至28日举行.
The play “is interesting in that the director and designers are experimenting with the creation of multiple plexiglass safe spaces (boxes) that each actor can inhabit,乔根森指出.
“Maggie is as talented an actor as she is a scene painter as she is a playwright,卡明斯说, who noted that she pursued all of those interests as an BC theater major, 毕业后也一直如此.
The production underscores the 剧院 Department’s long commitment to the development and production of new plays, 尤其是BC大学过去和现在的学生剧作家.
“这是我们传统的一部分，”卡明斯解释说. “Working with our former students after they have been out in the world a few years is gratifying for faculty and staff, 它帮助在校学生想象自己的可能性.”
最初, 卡明斯’ plan for the 2020-21 season was to direct a play by Kearnan titled "Idawalley,"讲的是19世纪六七十年代一位著名的灯塔女看守人的故事. “当大流行使戏剧制作停滞不前时, 麦琪和我都没兴趣把那个剧本改编给极速. We decided she would write a brand new piece that could accommodate the limitations of moment.”
第二届学生工作坊制作, 该剧将于3月25日至28日播出，由资深导演艾丽·拉德纳(Ally Lardner)执导, 是查理·埃文·辛普森的《电子游戏软件》吗. 它聚焦于Jolene一年的生活, 她是四姐妹中最大的, who takes the lead on fixing up a lakeside shack inherited by her and her sisters. It depicts the sisters and the shack, from Jolene’s perspective, in each season.
Edgar Lee Masters’ “Spoon River Anthology”—regarded as one of the most striking and original achievements in American poetry—concludes the season, 将于4月28日至5月2日举行.
It probes the social background of small-town living through a collection of short free-form poems spoken from a cemetery in the small fictional town of Spoon River, 伊利诺斯州. The collection includes more than 200 characters, each providing their accounts of life. 它将由乔根森改编并执导.
“I have selected the monologues that let the rascals and criminals have their say, 而且他们并不总是道歉,他说. “Our version allows this reminiscence to be more revival than funeral, and focuses on some of the more scandalous residents of Spoon River. 它将以现场蓝草音乐的形式呈现. I chose this play when the musical was no longer an option due to pandemic regulations, because the style of presentation—a collage of monologues—lends itself to safe distancing on stage.
虽然这听起来有些伤感, and certainly there is at times a melancholic nature to the narratives, there is also a wry grin and a wink as our characters each tell us of their colorful lives,乔根森补充道. “There is a historic sense to the production but also a modern zeitgeist as we remember all those who have passed—both in this pandemic and before—with warmth, 喜爱, 和讲故事.”
给n the challenges presented by the pandemic to theatrical productions, 卡明斯称赞乔根森是“英雄”.在担任戏剧系系主任后不久, 他面临的问题是弄清楚什么样的戏剧季, 如果有任何, 我们本可以. So much of what we are doing this year is an effort to explore the possibilities of mediated performance. Luke has been a gentle but dogged advocate for the educational value of our production program.”
这学期的戏剧作品是免费的, but a ticket is required from the RTAC Box Office to get the virtual program and link for each show. Tickets may be obtained in-person at the box office, by calling 617-552-4002, or through the RTAC票务网站.
罗赞Pellegrini | 大学传播| 2021年2月