Cal U Summer Theater Experience concluding with virtual event
Eddie Stephenson of Connellsville prepares for "The Show Must Go Online," which premiers online through Facebook on June 12.
Ian Grodz, 9, and Ally Grodz, 12, of California prepare for "The Show Must Go Online" which premiers online through Facebook on June 12.
Holden Kelly, 11, and Eva Kelly, 8, of California prepare for "The Show Must Go Online," which premiers online through Facebook on June 12.
A group of students from the Mon Valley Performing Arts Academy无毛视频檚 Summer Experience turned their reality with the coronavirus pandemic into art in a show debuting online at 7 p.m. Saturday.
无毛视频淭he show is the COVID experience we无毛视频檝e been going through,无毛视频� said Dr. Michele Pagen, the academy无毛视频檚 director and co-chair of Cal U无毛视频檚 Music and Theatre department.
Each year, California University of Pennsylvania hosts students ages 8 to 15 in an intensive theater camp, concluding with a musical. With all on-campus activities cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pagen discovered a virtual play called 无毛视频淭he Show Must Go Online.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 been really fun to see what they bring to the table,无毛视频� Pagen said of the students.
Academy students sent in audition videos, and Pagen and 19 students got to work, along with John Wagner from the academy, graduate assistant Kayla Grimm, Cal U students Destiny Cumberland and Christina Bordini and virtual production stage manager Brendan Pavlick. They met by video on Zoom and students were given direction such as lighting, choosing a room for filming and finding props around the house, sometimes incorporating pets and family members.
The play opens with a teacher meeting with her students on Zoom and telling them their show was cancelled. She accidentally leaves the video on during a call with the principal, who tells her the drama club would likely be closed. The students then band together to find a way to save the club.
Pagen said the students formed a bond even online. They have incorporated team-building activities into their lessons, such as drawing a picture of the student to their right on Zoom and having the students guess who it is.
无毛视频淭hey really had lost out, so having this experience, although different was great,无毛视频� she said.
She is planning a wrap-up party for the students when they are permitted to gather in person.
Pagen said they usually have 35 to 40 participants, and some parents were concerned about their children becoming exhausted with the abundance of online teaching after having their regular classes moved online.
无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e screen tired. Having to learn in an online environment is way different from face to face,无毛视频� she said.
But as for the students who participated, Pagen said, 无毛视频淭hey love it.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a crazy two weeks, but it无毛视频檚 fun for everyone. It无毛视频檚 high stress of the best kind, because you get to see everyone doing what they love, all together,无毛视频� she said.
She said it has been beneficial for both the adults involved and the students to have the opportunity to focus their creative energies in a positive direction. Pagen said it has been hard for both elementary students and college students who were unable to participate in musicals, some who were prepared to shine in breakout roles. A production for 无毛视频淚nto the Woods无毛视频� was already set up on the stage at Cal U and ready to go in two weeks. She said it is surreal to see the set remain onstage, complete with ladders and props.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 just weird that it无毛视频檚 just abandoned, and that无毛视频檚 hard,无毛视频� she said.
Still, the students are grateful for the opportunity to showcase their talents virtually, she said.
无毛视频淚t was heartbreaking for so many who put in so much time, and while they无毛视频檙e disappointed to not get the traditional Summer Experience, they无毛视频檙e excited to have this experience,无毛视频� she said.
To watch the performance, visit the Cal U Theatre or MVPAA Facebook pages.