Live and back in action Theatre students resume rehearsals on stage

BY TRISHA ANAS

After standing empty for more than a year, the Pierce College Performing Arts Building was filled with prop graffiti walls, hanging lights and the laughter of the Theatre department.

The department held its first indoor rehearsal on Thursday for “The Bomb-itty of Errors,” which will have a live audience when it opens on May 21.

Pierce professor and director of the play Shaheen Vaaz said that everyone was thrilled to be back.

“We’re exhilarated,” Vaaz said. “We’re happy and feeling really good about being with other people again in this beautiful space. We’re thankful to Pierce for letting us be back, and we finally get to do theater the way theater was meant to be done.”

The musical, described as an ad-rap-tation from William Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” features a set of rap songs and loads of humor.

Vaaz said that acting over Zoom was a difficult challenge for the theater students, but they stayed strong.

“They’re resilient, they’re loving, they’re compassionate,” Vaaz said. “They’re having so much fun, you know. I love them.”

Student Itzhak Matos said that being back in person felt jarring at first.

“It’s a little surreal being back with so many people in the room, but almost pretty much everyone has been vaccinated at this point,” Matos said. “I feel very grateful being able to be in one of the first shows that’s back in person in the area. It’s a lot of pressure but I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Vaaz said that the department is planning to have a live, but small audience consisting of friends and family while keeping COVID-19 precautions. She said that the show would also be broadcasted over Zoom for those who are unable to attend in-person.

Student Manon Guijarro said that everyone in the department has also been keeping safety in mind among their eagerness.

“We’ve been taking our precautions seriously,” Guijarro said. “We’ve been really tight knit and keeping each other safe. We care a lot about each other, especially the audience.

While the department was rehearsing over Zoom for the past year, some students, including Norman Thatch, said that they were challenged by the pandemic.

“We were hit terribly and awfully hard,” Thatch said. “The thing about what I’ve realized is we’re not even making income right now.”

Guijarro added that the department lost a lot of everything since COVID-19 started, but everyone has tried to stay hopeful.

“We’ve lost a lot of time together,” Guijarro said. “Since theater classes are so in-person, it’s really taken a lot from the theater department, but we’re striving.”

Other students, including Topher Ngo, said that he was looking forward to performing for a live audience after being stuck in the pandemic the past year.

“Coming out of the pandemic and quarantine has been a very heavy time for a lot of people, but the show is full of light, joy and comedy, and we’re excited to share it with people,”Ngo said.

The play runs May 21-22 at 6 p.m. and May 23 at 3 p.m. over Zoom. The live audience will be invited guests only.

Vaccine doubts debunked

BY KAMRYN BOUYETT

The Los Angeles County of Public Health held a virtual town hall on the COVID-19 vaccines as more Los Angeles residents continue to get vaccinated. The town hall was live streamed on Twitter and Youtube on Tuesday, April 27.

The Town Hall was moderated by Barbara Ferrer, the director of the Los Angeles Department of Public Health.

Ferrer opened up the town hall with Dr. Muntu Davis, an officer for the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. Davis talked about the recent decision to begin readministering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Dr. Sharon Balter, director of the Acute Communicable Disease Control Program explained that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reconvened last week again after collecting more data on TTS and the vaccine.

“As a result of this review they determined that the pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson can be lifted and that use of the vaccine should resume,” Balter said. “The FDA and CDC concluded that the vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19 and that the potential benefits outweigh its known potential risks in people who are 18 years of age and older.”

Dr. Seira Kurian from the Division of Medical Affairs of Los Angeles Department of Public health gave viewers information on where to find vaccination sites, what to do before and after the vaccine and addressed general concerns with the vaccines.

“It is important to note that you can not get COVID from the vaccine itself since there is no COVID virus in the vaccine,” Kurian said. “It takes time for your body to build protection after any vaccination, you’re considered fully vaccinated two weeks after your second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and two weeks after the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.”

Kurian stressed people who are vaccinated should continue to wear their masks, wash their hands and maintain social distancing in public or in crowded spaces.

After the brief introductions made by the panelists Ferrer opened up to questions from the viewers.

Davis assured a viewer that all vaccines are effective but taking the necessary precautions is important to prevent infections.

“It has been seen in terms of the data and people getting COVID after vaccination is often between the first and the second dose or shortly after the second dose,” Davis said.

“Which means it didn’t have the full protection and they were exposed to the virus which took hold before the vaccine could protect them from infection.”

Currently Los Angeles County residents are able to get a vaccine without an appointment for free. The person getting the vaccine would need proof of residing in Los Angeles but no proof of residency. More information can be found here.