FIU Theatre Returns In Person with Fahrenheit 451

Elise Gregg / Staff Writer

Energy is high as FIU Theatre returns on stage and in-person, for the first time in over a year. The play Fahrenheit 451 is set to bring a literary classic to life, says associate professor Phillip Church, who is directing the performance.

“[It was] so alien to be doing it to a [green] screen…I did a production of Lysistrata, and I couldn’t even bring actors together,” said Church, who explained how they edited clips together during the pandemic.

Church said performing digitally during the pandemic was extremely foreign to most people in the theatre community. 

Luis Avila, a senior playing the role of Beatty in Fahrenheit 451, agreed online performances weren’t what he was used to – but that they were helpful in some ways. 

“It was definitely an interesting, surreal experience,” said Avila. “I want to do more film than theater in the future, so to be able to have that experience really worked out for me. I found it very helpful and enlightening.” 

The digital performances were pre-recorded, which meant scenes could be shot and edited to fix any mistakes, explained Avila.

Students such as Marla Lopez, a junior playing the role of Professor Faber, said actors were forced to adjust their acting style to fit the medium.

“Usually we’re on the big stage [so] we have to project, play to the audience,” said Lopez, “But for this, it was a lot more like film work… more intimate moments and playing those subtleties.” 

Church hopes in-person performances will give students the chance to interact with each other and their audience.

“When it comes to actors, they’re so hungry for the audience connection,” said Church. 

With less than two weeks until opening night, the actors are eager to perform as a team.

“Actually being in the theater with all of my peers, it’s a different energy, and we’re all kind of feeding off of each other,” said Lopez. “I think everybody’s equally excited that we’re back, and I’m just thrilled to be doing what I love again.”

However, FIU Theatre still maintains some COVID-19 precautions for the safety of the cast, crew and audience alike. 

“Now we’re approaching going back on stage again and of course everybody thought that [COVID] was on its way out, and we could get people back in,” said Church. “Now, we’re having to strongly encourage people to wear masks, [though] we obviously cannot require it.”

The theatre will run at about 60 percent audience capacity, with masks strongly encouraged for audience members and students during rehearsals, Church noted. Actors are required to wear masks during the actual production.

For performances, masks aren’t just for actors’ safety – they’re part of the storyline.

Fahrenheit 451 was originally a novel written by Ray Bradbury in 1953. The dystopian story depicts a future where books are illegal and ideas are censored by the government. Firemen no longer put out fires, but instead start them to burn books.

“It makes sense for us, this whole idea of censorship and society stopping us from doing things with ideas,” said Lopez.

Lopez pointed out the masks present a challenge in terms of diction, projection, and expression. However, Avila feels they play into the world of Fahrenheit 451, even outside of the play’s coincidental message. 

“These characters are firemen… they wear masks when they go into a burning building,” said Avila. “The fact that they’re justifying it makes it not only more bearable but at the same time, it gives the audience a sense of ‘Oh, they’re wearing masks for this reason, not because of COVID.’” 

Masks fit well into the play, as the play fits well into the current social climate. 

“I personally felt it was just such a timely piece to do, it would be a real challenge and an exciting production,” said Church, “But also raises [questions in] young people’s minds – not just these actors who are doing it, but also our audience.”

Fahrenheit 451 premieres on Friday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m., with tickets available at the FIU Theatre website and the box office.