Virtual Productions & Special Projects
From the moment Play is the Thing became a thing, we were invited to work on some very special projects and began rehearsals for virtual productions to stay creative, and creating, in the changed artistic landscape of Covid-19.
Read on to learn more about these productions & special projects!
Past Productions
Ghost House
by Rachel Bublitz
October 2020
This spooky production was a world premiere and has since been published and produced five more times around the country.
Rehearsed and performed entirely online, this production had two casts of 7 students each, allowing us to maintain the wonderful feeling of ensemble work we all miss so much about live theatre.
Learn more about the Ghost House script here.
Image created by freepik
Super Happy Awesome News!
by Denver Casado & Jessica Penzias
December 2020
This musical, created early on in the Covid-19 pandemic, and designed to give kids a place to reflect on and express their experiences during this time, was so much fun to work on!
Each of the 10 cast members really got a chance to shine!
Presented through special arrangement with Beat by Beat Press.
Special Projects
EDUCATIONAL PLAY
Shakespeare in the Park
with WSD
SEPTEMBER 2020
School administrators at Weilenmann School of Discovery reached out to us when the annual 8th grade trip to the Utah Shakespeare Festival was cancelled due to Covid-19.
We collaborated on a two-day outdoor Shakespeare in the Park experience around Macbeth, which they would be studying later in the year. Exploring the themes, characters, and story of the tragedy through active drama exercises and games, our three drama specialists led the group of over 50 students to a better understanding of the text and relevant connections to the present.
The final afternoon culminated in a choreographed battle sequence involving the entire incredible group of students that absolutely blew us educators away!
Want to explore how to set up a special project like this one with your own group?
PURIM SPIEL 2021
A
Production
COMMISSIONED VIRTUAL PRODUCTION
PURIM SPIEL 2021
with TEMPLE HAR SHALOM
FEBRUARY 2021
With in-person services on-hold for nearly a year due to Covid-19, the leaders of Temple Har Shalom wanted to engage their young people and bring their community together with an original Purim Spiel performance! Purim is celebrated each year in the re-telling of the story of Queen Esther who saved her fellow Jews from death at the hands of the evil Haman in 5th Century Persia.
Working with 8 incredibly talented and dedicated young people, we met virtually each week over two months, writing and rehearsing an original Purim spiel to present in a virtual watch party with the whole congregation on the eve of Purim! Each student was able to contribute in the way they felt most engaged- acting, writing, directing and stage managing to bring this project to life with a hilarious and successful final production they could each feel ownership of and pride in!
Want to explore how to set up a special project like this one with your own group?
EDUCATIONAL PLAY
To Kill A Mockingbird with WSD
May 2021
We were thrilled when Weilenmann School of Discovery again called on us to work for two days in the park, this time with their 7th grade students, on creative drama curriculum around the American classic To Kill A Mockingbird. What a time to be examining the themes of this play with these fantastic students!
Over two days we explored the themes and characters of the book through: active movement activities focused on social and economic status, creation of beautiful and poignant tableaus (ensemble-led frozen pictures depicting the themes), re-enacted and discussed the crucial courtroom scenes, and even searched the surrounding trees for treasures left by Boo Radley.
