Creative Arts Center | Photo by Kayli Thompson | The Wright State Guardian
Musical Theatre, along with other majors such as costume design, has been heavily impacted by the coronavirus. With shows halting for nearly a year, adaptation to a new norm has had some growing pains.
Making adjustments
“It's changed a ton, obviously everything has to be virtual, streamed, or recorded which is so different from a live theatrical experience,” said sophomore musical theatre major Sydney Freihofer.
Classes have had to transition from in-person to online, which has impacted Freihofer.
“When it comes to more hands-on experiences like improv and movement, I think it’s been more detrimental,” said Freihofer.
According to Freihofer, those classes being online is difficult because the teacher is not able to see everyone’s movements, which is critical for learning.
Benefits
Costume design major Carrie Wieland has found that the pandemic has aided her work in some ways.
“It’s definitely given me time to like work on my own personal projects and get better at the crafts itself,” said Wieland.
While she finds her own work improving, Wieland still yearns for that personal connection with her peers.
“I just wish we could all work together. Because, you know, theater is like a team effort,” said Wieland.
Shows will be returning both virtually and in-person, including a drive-in show this semester. The drive-in show will be distanced, but still provide a rare in-person experience.
No impact
Samantha Stanton found that her education remained unchanged as she is a stage management major.
“It’s sort of like the same process for me as a stage manager because I just sit there and I just listen,” said Stanton.
According to Stanton, a lack of shows had an impact on her department, but not on her education.
Looking forward
With shows now happening, both virtually and in-person, Wright State University (WSU) students have a lot to look forward to.
The drive-in show will provide a sense of normalcy as WSU looks to safely transition into socially distanced shows for musical theatre.
