Hi to our St. Olaf College Theater Majors
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
St. Olaf College Theater Department
Perpetua with playwright Vincent
Delaney,2004 Merchant of Venice Love’s Labor’s Lost
1921 1928
July 16, 2020
Hi to our St. Olaf College Theater Majors,
Looking ahead to the 2020-21 academic year, we have much to celebrate and much to continue
to work on. In Spring of 2021, we will mark 100 years of St. Olaf Theater with a celebration to-
be-determined and the release of a photo book celebrating 100 years of creative, dramatic
imagination on the St. Olaf campus.
The Theater Department has been working hard to figure out how best to teach and produce
theater in a world with COVID-19. Faculty and staff have been in touch with our professional
organizations, taking classes and webinars, meeting with each other and with professionals
across the country, and making plans to try and ensure the safety of everyone involved including
our students, faculty and staff. We are excited to share some information here. There is much
work still to be done but here is a preview of what we have been working on and answers to
some of your questions.
When will we hear about the season, student work positions, design opportunities
and auditions?
We will have our Opening Theater Orientation on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Our hope is to meet in Kelsey Theater, with safe social distancing and masks. At that
time, we will share any updates and make any announcements about changes that may
have occurred between this letter and the start of classes. Please mark your calendars for
this event and stay tuned as the orientation session may need to move to a virtual meeting
via Zoom or Google Meet. We look forward to “seeing” you at this meeting, in whatever
shape it takes and whether we are with each other in person or via the internet.
Will there be a Theater Season?
The Theater season is not going to look like a normal one, but we have plans for a theater
season, and we ask that our creative majors bring their energy, creativity and imagination
to work when returning to campus.
We are in agreement that the world needs the arts, especially right now.
Our goal for a theater season is:
St. Olaf College Theater Department
Fall “Kelsey” Mamma Mia! by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and
some songs with Stig Anderson , book by Catherine Johnson,
Originally conceived by Judy Craymer
Director: K.P. Wilson Sept. 12,13 2020 2:00 p.m.
As many of you know, we spent four weeks last semester rehearsing this musical, and
then it had to be postponed. Streaming rights are not available, and this was our original
hope. We now have rights to do an outside performance of this musical on September 12
and 13 at 2:00 p.m. in front of Boe Chapel, with the audience gathered, with social
distancing, on the grass in front of Boe Chapel. We are thinking of this as more of a
creative response to a world in chaos; a demonstration of creative artists using their
wonderful imagination to tell important stories about the world in which we live. The
story is about what it means to be a family, and this seems poignant right now. Audience
size will be limited (we are awaiting information from the College about the final
number). Ushers and signage will be in place to work on safe social distancing. No
tickets will be used. Programs, if printed, will be distributed by ushers wearing gloves.
Performers will wear face shields and we will be rearranging choreography to cut all lifts,
eliminate any touching or kissing. The accompaniment will be recorded and wireless
mics will be used underneath the face shields. A sound system will be used. Once we
hear from the previous cast about who is available and can commit to the completion of
this wonderful project, we will work out details about rehearsals (probably in small
groups). Unfortunately, there is no way to use Kurt Gough’s beautiful set that is still
sitting in Kelsey Theater- we simply cannot keep everyone safely distanced inside Kelsey
Theater at this point.
Fall “Haugen” Big Plastic / Something Lunar (Devised Work)
Director: Bryan Schmidt Wednesday Oct. 28 - Sunday Nov. 1
Dr. Schmidt is working on a new devised piece that will take place around the Art Barn.
Big Plastic / Something Lunar is an immersive traveling performance that tells the story
of the Big Plastic Corporation’s use of political influence to acquire the Grove—a
mystical forest that is the home to the Great God Pan and its eccentric followers. As the
audience travels from Tostrud to the Art Barn, they are swept into the Grove’s magic
and musical atmosphere; but they also witness the interplay of police, propaganda, and
politics to contain and capture this wondrous excess. The performance ends with a
walkthrough experience at the Art Barn, where the audience witnesses the death of
Pan, and its signal of a new imperial age.
Big Plastic / Something Lunar is an experimental devised work that asks how social
distancing provides new tools and modes of theatrical writing. It is performed mostly
outdoors, with physical and atmospheric storytelling methods that allow for the cast
and audiences to remain six feet apart and masked. Through performance workshops,
improvisations, and collective dramaturgy, cast and crew members will collaboratively
work to build an immersive world.
As we all know, Interim and Semester II are still in the planning stages and these may be
productions that are produced virtually, or outside, or may even shift. We practice flexibility as
artists, and now is the time to step up and adapt to an ever-changing world.
St. Olaf College Theater Department
Interim The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Jay Presson Allen
Director: Peter Christian Hansen Feb. 11-21, 2021
Spring “Haugen” TBA
Director: Matthew Humason ‘21 March 11-21, 2021
Spring “Kelsey” Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
Director: Bill Sonnega April 8-18, 2021
One Act Festival May, 2021
Since Haugen Theater cannot safely seat its regular audience number for this popular event, we
are all working to support a one act festival that may look different than the usual festival,
including possibilities for various outdoor locations, streaming options, etc. Conversations
continue so stay tuned.
What can we expect when we return to the Theater department on campus?
Some basic strategies:
•Everyone on campus will need to follow the Community Standards and Pledge requirements.
•The Theater building has been cleaned and the College has planned for safety measures in our
work spaces, our classrooms and our labs.
•The theaters and classrooms have been measured for social distancing and actors, technicians
and directors will adhere to social distancing rules (6 feet apart).
•No wireless mics will be shared- each performer will have their own mic and mic pack.
•Masks will be worn in every indoor location throughout rehearsals.
•The shops (lighting, sound, scenic, costumes and box office) have all discussed safety measures
for their spaces and these will all be strictly implemented. No tickets will be issued to avoid
handling of such items. The script library will have a special box where returned scripts will be
left for a minimum of three days before being able to be checked out again.
•There will be very limited access to dressing rooms, and, if these are used, performers will have
scheduled times to access to ensure appropriate sanitizing.
•Everyone will sanitize their hands upon entering and leaving each space. The College will be
placing sanitizers in these spaces.
•Rehearsal scripts will be provided to each performer, stage manager, etc. to avoid sharing of
materials, unless digital copies are available (respecting copyright)
St. Olaf College Theater Department Attached is a guide, Reopening Theaters EdTA that has a lot of very specific information that you may find useful. Concluding thoughts This past year, the Theater Department developed this statement, now posted on the Theater web page: The St. Olaf College Theater Department embraces differences and finds strength in our connectedness. As creative artists in a vibrant theater community, we value and welcome the unique, diverse and authentic gifts of our students, faculty and staff This is certainly the time for structural change, and there is much to consider and work to do. Every department on campus will be implementing the policies, practices, and procedures that the college has developed and continues to develop to further equity and inclusion, and the Theater Department will continue doing this hard work along with the rest of the campus. We all need to reflect on what we can do in our roles with the college as well as coming together and working for change as one united group to create the kind of change we all want to see. We look forward to “seeing” you all, in one way or another, in the near future! With deep respect, appreciation and excitement for the future, KP Wilson Brian Bjorklund Todd Edwards Peter Christian Hansen Jeanne Hatle Aimee Jillson Bryan Schmidt Ryan Cleasby
You can also read
