AT Theatre is back with a resurgence after announcing that there will in fact be a show this semester: Bad Audition…on camera. There will be shows on both Friday (Oct. 23) and Saturday (Oct. 24) at 7 pm. Audience members will be able to access this performance through a live-stream on YouTube.
http://www.dupage88.net/ATFallPlay2020
AT theatre has been waiting for this for a very long time, and although the show will be remote, everyone involved with this year’s production is very excited to be able to get back to working on a show.
This production will be a humorous one; it is about a casting director who has been tasked with searching for a replacement for the lead actor in Crime Court. The story will follow her and her assistant as they go through auditions via zoom, and the audience will even get to choose who will get cast at the end.
Clearly, a lot of work and thought has gone into the process of developing this production.
Anna McSweeney discussed the process leading up to this point. “We had to rethink our entire season. What we originally planned last spring just would not work when we saw the pandemic was continuing and we would be remote,” she said.
“First, I checked in with our theatre board to make sure they wanted to attempt a show. The seniors especially said that they still wanted to make theatre as fun as possible. So, I asked our theatre board to do some research on shows that could be performed on Zoom. That’s how we came upon the show we are doing.”
Despite being able to have the opportunity to go through with this show, there are still many challenges that come with it being virtual.
Senior stage manager Gerardo Alvidrez explained the many changes that had to be made. “Crew has been running completely differently. Obviously, we cannot be together cutting wood, drilling parts together, or painting sets so everything is being done remotely,” he said.
“Crew still meets at least twice a week but this year, Crew is designing the backgrounds the actors will be using for the shows. These backgrounds can either be green screens or suggestions for what an actor’s performance space should look like.”
In addition to this, Alvidrez also mentioned that crew leaders such as himself have the task of assisting both the actors and crew members.
Although Crew looks very different this year, the actors have been able to mainly keep doing what they have always done, which is act, but being online provides a bit of a challenge in terms of execution.
“This year, acting is going to be portrayed differently. Instead of highly focusing on body movement and stage directors, actors now have to focus on their tone, their posture, the use of whatever tools they have in front of them such as the laptop camera, and facial expressions.” Alvidrez said.
Though the whole process has been sorted out and organized, seniors still have mixed emotions about the changes.
“After working really hard the past two years, it’s definitely disappointing that my senior year won’t be spent working on shows like we normally do,” Alvidrez said.
“It’s different to not be doing as much for theatre as I have in the past couple of years but as a senior, I still appreciate that the sponsors are trying to do something for us.”
Everyone in Theatre has been working very hard on this production, so be sure to go watch Bad Audition…on camera this weekend!
