“We are at the mercy of COVID and the government,” said Tad Janes.
With COVID-19 precautions taking Frederick Community College courses almost completely online, the theater program has made some major changes to the curriculum in order to keep the spirit of theater at FCC alive.
According to Tad Janes, Professor of Theater at FCC, faculty are diligently working “to make the best class(es) possible” for remote learning this semester.
Essentially, staff have built new courses so that every part of their teaching can translate over to the new virtual medium.
While some classes have scheduled in-person days to do hands-on work, many classes have to be reconstructed in order to fit the virtual learning style. Lectures have switched easily to Zoom classes.
But some classes were a harder decision than others. As Janes said, “an acting or improv class is better to see the faces and expressions than be six feet apart wearing masks.”
However, the theater department is not throwing away its shot! Students are being given new creative projects, such as acting for filmed pieces, and live readings via Zoom.
This semester, students are even creating their own original works to perform.
Janes has some previous experience with generating original plays alongside the Maryland Ensemble Theater (MET) and the making of their own play “Pickle My Monkey.” Working with local theater, Tad Janes has become accustomed to the new virtual stage by helping to put on virtual cabarets, live comedy streams and play readings for the MET.
The virtual stage may be where students perform this semester, since there are no guarantees of live performances taking place.
State and County guidelines prevented outdoor and drive-in theater until stage 3 of recovery. Could we now see live theater productions going forward? If there is live theater, will people come?
“I don’t think an audience will be comfortable coming back until the Kennedy Center in DC and Broadway are up and running,” Janes said.
Although Broadway may not reopen until 2021, according to their official website, it is up to the state to decide the capacity of people allowed in theater venues. However, with the popularity of the recent release of Hamilton on Disney+ and no access to live shows for such a long time, audiences may come flooding back to theaters.
Nevertheless, the theater team is still blazing forward, with plans to produce a fall show. Students can show support to the theater department by getting involved and joining the performing arts club. A casting notice for the new show will be released soon.
Thanks to new-learned virtual skills of FCC performers, however the production happens, it is sure to be a play to remember.
