The pandemic has caused many shows to be silenced, but Hofstra’s drama department found new ways to follow their cues. // Photo courtesy of Hofstra University.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the drama department at Hofstra University found it crucial to continue performing while maintaining proper safety guidelines.
“I am really proud of my department,” said Royston Coppenger, the chair of the department of drama and dance. “I am really proud of the faculty in this department and how hard they’ve worked to give our students a good experience in this difficult time. I think the students really needed to come back to school and they really needed to be in class.”
In the spring, the department plans to produce two plays, “Barbecue” and “Phaedra,” and one musical, “Working.” They plan to put on “Working” and “Phaedra” live with a socially-distanced audience and stream “Barbecue” online. For the spring dance show, they hope to allow a live performance to be streamed online. Due to social distancing, the number of dancers in each piece will be much more limited than in the past.
“I am really proud of the fact that we are still putting on shows,” said David Henderson, a professor who teaches scenic design. “A lot of other universities just canceled their seasons completely. And we are doing it, but we are doing it safely.”
Because the drama department has changed the way they produce shows during the pandemic, students in the program have learned new skills.
“Instead of getting live theater experience, I was getting movie-making experience,” said Gavin Petersen, a sophomore production major. Petersen worked on the department’s production of Hamlet, which was filmed rather than performed live.
When it came to holding classes during a pandemic, the department had to figure out a way to give the students the hands-on, in-person experiences they needed while following the Center for Disease Control’s health and safety guidelines. They decided to include a combination of online, live and hybrid courses. Whenever they can, professors teach their classes online to allow for less potential COVID-19 exposure. Lecture-based courses were the easiest to transition to an online format, while the department struggled a little more to transition those classes that require face-to-face instruction.
“I think the drama department operated as best as we could have,” said Earl Rice, a junior performance major. “I think the administration did a lot of reading over all the rules and materials and directions, and they just did the best to make the most out of the semester.” Rice added that these efforts have paid off in keeping both drama students and faculty safe.”
“The drama department’s done a really stellar job at keeping things afloat, especially with the simple fact that there have been no outbreaks [of COVID-19] in the drama department,” Rice said.
Jessica Nivison, a freshman drama major, said that camaraderie is what has truly helped the department succeed this semester.
“Even though we’re very remote and it can feel lonely sometimes, the Hofstra drama [department] is a family and we all have each other’s backs, especially in times like these,” Nivison said. “It’s good to know that we have such a strong support system. Even as a freshman, I could feel that from the moment I got here.”