By Marina Alonzo/Contributing Writer
From Hollywood to Broadway to the theater majors at FIU, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected them all. During lockdown, these students continue to develop their skills away from the second home: the stage.
Due to the pandemic, the Theatre Department came to a conclusion they would organize remote readings of plays chosen by students.
The university will be doing three virtual staged readings this season. “The Miss Firecracker Contest”, “Radium Girls”, and “Pipeline”. Each of them is a live, one-time event.
“That’s the thing with theatre, it’s live so you can’t miss it.” said Ivan Lopez, professor for FIU theater and director of audience development.“If you’re not there that one day, you can never get that same performance again.”
Lopez discussed why they came to the decision to do virtual readings and how to adapt to remote learning.
“For us, it was all about trying to figure out a way to give our students an opportunity to work creatively,” said Lopez, “to work on a play and still do some of the stuff they would have done on stage.”
Lopez added that remote learning has presented its set of challenges.
“So much of theatre is to adapt and role with the cards you’re dealt and figure out creative solutions,” he said.
Maycee Smith is a theatre major who transferred to FIU spring of 2019. She discussed how she felt about adapting to remote learning.
“I thought it was going to be a hindrance, because I’m a senior and these classes are so crucial for actually graduating,” Smith added, “I’ve been taking classes since March and it hasn’t been too difficult.”
Smith was taking a stage combat class when quarantine started in March.
“Transitioning to online especially for that class was so tough because every day in that class we were doing something,” she said.
She has used this time of quarantine to develop other crafts such as content creation and creative directing for her company, Next Content Creation.
Ana Gorayeb, is a senior theatre major, who switched her major from biology to theatre last spring. She will be in two of the staged readings this season. She discussed how her experience has been preparing for a virtual reading.
“I’m a person that, when I’m acting with someone I need to look them in the eye and communicate like that.” Gorayeb added, “If I’m doing something wrong, it’s all in the eyes for me.”
Smith and Gorayeb are both adjusting to their new classroom formats and taking advantage of the new opportunities their professors are providing such as self taping auditions and cold reading.
“Before, no one worried about self tapes,” Gorayeb said. “Right now so many companies are like, ‘send me a self tape.’”
Gorayeb gives lots of credit and thanks to her professors Lesley-Ann Timlick and Joel Murray, the head of the department, for adapting their curriculum and the department to the regulations of the CDC.
“I’m so thankful they decided to not cancel those shows.” Goyeb added. “I think it’s awesome they asked for our opinion and they’re really good shows.”
To stay updated on upcoming FIU Theatre’s productions, you can follow them on Instagram.
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