LET’S GET DIGITAL Northwestern, Evanston arts communities stay connected through online performances, classes - By Jacob Fulton
S
amara Malik did not plan for this. The Communication sophomore was supposed to direct for Lovers and Madmen, a member board of Northwestern’s Student Theatre Coalition. This year, the board was preparing to put on three staged
readings of studentwritten adaptations during Spring Quarter, and Malik was slated to direct “Carrying.” For months, she worked with her team to fine-tune performances, all so they could be ready to perform the reading live. But nothing could prepare her — or her actors — for a global pandemic and the closure of the university for the duration of Spring Quarter, effectively eliminating
the possibility of any in-person performances for all productions for the rest of the school year. This dilemma has forced arts communities across the globe to decide whether they will proceed with scheduled programming in a new format, transition to virtual methods or cut events altogether. At Northwestern, some theater boards are postponing their shows to early on in fall 2020, but Malik didn’t have that option, as she plans to study abroad that quarter. For her, it was now or never. So when a board member pitched the possibility of adapting the staged reading to a radio play, she jumped on the idea. “Plan A was to be back on campus, so » See CORONAVIRUS, page 6
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