Lessons From Lockdown Three instructors on how COVID-19 has transformed arts education—permanently
André Garner, assistant
BACKSTAGE 05.13.21
professor of acting at Ball State University Department of Theatre and Dance Since so much training is happening over Zoom, have you shifted your teaching to focus on a more filmic style of acting? When it comes to showcases, there has been a definite change, especially since I am on the New York showcase, which is generally done live. But it was taped—all self-taped. To tell you the truth, I think it’s going to be really beneficial to the students, because I think the industry was already starting to steer toward
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more self-tapings anyway. And, look, they know more about it than I do now! They are so much better equipped to go into the industry than they probably were three, four years ago, because they’ve done so much of it in the last year. They’ve also done it under the guidance of professionals, and I think that will really, really give them a leg up. What have in-person classes looked like after factoring in COVID-19 safety precautions? Right before the pandemic hit, there were fears about intimacy and violence and how we’re going to structure that so that
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AS-ARTMEDIA/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
WITH PERFORMANCE VENUES AND THEATERS STARTING to reopen across the country and around the world, the entertainment industry is beginning to settle into a new sense of normalcy after more than a year of pause. Of course, the long-lasting effects of the pandemic—virtual performances, discussions around the safety of performers and audiences, and renewed calls for meaningful equity—will take years to unpack. Nowhere is this more evident than in the academic world, where students and faculty alike have had to adjust not only to ever-changing guidelines for educational settings, but also to a brand-new way of looking at live performance and what it means to be a working artist today. So what is the state of performance education, after so much uncertainty and change? Here, professors from institutions across the country share their perspectives on the challenges and adjustments they’ve had to make in their classrooms and beyond. Though there have been hardships, a common thread has emerged: one of innovation, dedication, resilience, and even some optimism.
JONATHAN WEISS/SHUTTERSTOCK .COM; CHRISTINE ALBRIGHT-TUFTS: COURTESY SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
By Matthew Nerber
