Culture
Lead Culture Writer: Haley Brown – tbfx@iup.edu
Waller Hall, one of the halls of the Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance, plans to reopen and host events.
(Natalie Stanton/The Penn)
The show must go on
IUP’s performing arts plan to reopen this semester HALEY BROWN Lead Culture Writer tbfx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP The IUP Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance’s season began with the opening of a University Museum exhibit featuring Ned Wert’s work Tuesday. The exhibit will run through March 20. Despite restrictions, the season will feature plenty of events for performance enthusiasts of all tastes. The semester’s events will include a performance from the Shana Simmons Dance Company, an IUP Dance Theater and Percussion Ensemble collaboration. “One company performing at IUP is the Shana Simmons Dance Company,” said Holly Boda-Sutton, director of IUP Dance Theater and a dance professor. “They will be doing outdoor site-specific performance[s] around the IUP campus to allow for audiences with greater COVID-19 safety.” Boda-Sutton said that the IUP Dance Theater would be collaborating with the Shana Simmons Dance Company all semester on a performance piece that the company will include during the outdoor shows.
Culture
There will also be a collaboration between the IUP Percussion Ensemble and the IUP Dance Theater. The collaboration will include the recreation of eight previously performed works. The works were chosen from the productions from the last 15 years. Boda-Sutton explained that the pieces chosen to be recreated were some of the favorite pieces of both Boda-Sutton and Michael Kingan, the director of the IUP Percussion Ensemble. The event is called “An Evening of Dance and Percussion” and will take place at 7 p.m. March 27 virtually. “I’m looking forward to serving as house manager for this spring’s Theater by the Grove productions of the play ‘Perfect Arrangement’ and the musical ‘Ordinary Days,’” Kyle Chastulik (senior, vocal performance) said. “The house manager usually heads front-of-house operations, including gathering volunteer ushers and ensuring the safety and comfort of patrons. Much like the performances, this position may look a bit different this semester.” Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, most of the performances will take place virtually, which, of course, comes with its
drawbacks, but also brings a few perks with it. “It’s interesting to watch streamed theater productions, as it provides a more intimate viewing experience like that of a movie,” Chastulik said. Chastulik went on to note that the most obvious difference in performances since the pandemic began was the necessity of mask-wearing and the effect that it has on performers. Masks can hinder performers’ abilities to project their voice, and the shape of a mask can negatively affect performances involving singing, while the challenge of matching the masks to costumes is a new one problem to workshop. Not only does the need for masks invite new challenges to the physical stage itself, but the virtual presentation of a theater event can cause a sort of disconnect from an audience and a performer. It may seem like a small issue to those who have never taken to the stage before, but the energy exchange between audience and performer at live events is one of the most motivating, uplifting, and energizing aspects of being a part of a performance. “Performing to virtual audiences as opposed to live audiences
January 27, 2021
absolutely has a different feel and challenge for the dancers and percussionists,” Boda-Sutton said. “When performing to live audiences, there is an energy coming from the audience the performers can feel. There is also a recognized and felt connection and engagement between the performers and the audience. “When performing to a camera for a virtual audience, that energy and engagement are physically missing from the performance environment and must be created in the performers’ minds so that the connection with the camera has that energy and engagement present.” Not only do professors address this change in connection between audience and cast, but theater, dance and performance students are feeling the loss of in-person momentum that the streaming formats are causing and are not loving the results. “Performing virtually is definitely a big adjustment,” Chastulik said. “Having done a few performances in various formats since the start of the pandemic, there are many aspects of live performance that I miss. “Without response from a live, in-person audience, the performances may be differently paced.”
Despite the challenges that the IUP arts departments are facing once again this semester, with COVID-19 still running rampant, arts students are staying positive and recognizing the leadership and encouragement from IUP arts faculty and staff. “I think IUP theater faculty are doing the best they can to carry out classes and productions in a safe way,” Chastulik said. “Faculty have been very understanding of the needs of individual students who may not be in Indiana or are hesitant to participate in in-person events due to the pandemic.” Chastulik went on to express that IUP’s Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance and the music department are defined by “hardworking and knowledgeable faculty” while also being shaped by the “devotion of their students.” Not only have the IUP arts departments been under fire as of late because of IUP’s retrenchment plans, but they have also been hit hard by the pandemic. However, the arts departments’ response to these challenges has been a promising one, and they continue to provide the best education and best college experience for their students and their audience members alike.
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