EDITOR'S NOTE: All students had the option of publishing their work anonymously. This author chose that option
On March 13th, 2020, the world went dark. Corporations, schools, colleges and universities, restaurants, stores, cafes, museums, venues, Broadway, and so much more, closed their doors for what they hoped would be a temporary shutdown. The world was entering what has turned into a drawn-out battle with a new virus, COVID-19, and the unknown symptoms, side effects, and fatality of the virus would lead leaders around the world to take precautionary measures. As the virus continued to rapidly spread, shutdowns were extended from their initial 2-week mandates to month long mandates. As schools, colleges, and universities switched from in person learning to remote online learning school plays and productions were cancelled – with many never having been seen by audiences. Broadway was no different and as one of the largest theatre production areas in the world shut its doors the seriousness of how this would impact the theatre world began to hit.
As the virus continued the spread across the United States people began to write. Some pull inspiration from the popular idea that Shakespeare had written his play during a time of pandemic and plague. (Although it is very important to note that there is very little evidence suggesting the dates of when Shakespeare wrote his plays so to claim he wrote his plays during a plague is entirely inaccurate.) Many recognized the important of the historical moment in which they were living and pulled inspiration from that.
It’s no secret that big historical events leave an impression on playwrights and inspire them to fashion productions around significant events and/or people. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is inspired by the Salem Witchcraft Trials; Lysistrata by Aristophanes centers around the impact of the Peloponnesian War, and the list continues. It should come as no surprise to those familiar with the theatre world, that a worldwide pandemic that has impacted every aspect of life would inspire people to write plays about the pandemic.
As the shutdowns continued into the late spring and early summer, concerts, festivals, carnivals, and more continued to postpone performance dates and the lengths of their shutdowns. It started to become increasingly clear how much of an impact the pandemic and its consequent shutdowns were affecting the arts. How do you make and perform art when get togethers were prohibited, distance between people was enforced, and fear of possibly infecting others or contracting this virus were keeping people away? Fans of Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda were eagerly awaiting the release of Hamilton the Film on the streaming service Disney+. The idea of a major Broadway work being filmed on a prose shot and release through a streaming service reignited a conversation about the future of theatre. Should theatre performances be filmed and posted online or not? However, regardless of the answer to that question, smaller theatre companies and school theatre departments don’t have access to the same type of technology, so what were they going to do to continue making theatre?
The answer? Online theatre. The quick transition that much of the world took in its transition from life in person to life online led to this idea of Zoom theatre. And what better play to perform over Zoom than a play about the pandemic? Several productions have since been written and performed over online platforms. “Waiting for the Host,” is a production specifically designed to be performed online and centers around the coronavirus pandemic. Another theatre company, Theatre Off Kilter, put on a show “Waiting:A Pandemic Play,” a play about the theatre company members response to the pandemic. The theatre company realized how important it is to live in the moment and how productions like these would inform others of the struggles those in the arts were facing. As the world continues to deal with the world that is reeling with a pandemic, we will continue to see productions about COVID-19 and more adaptations into online performances.
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