Theatres across the world are experimenting with new ways to engage their audience. And in the case of Alumnae Theatre Company, which is also a club, it’s equally important to engage members. Now Alumnae is inviting our artistically inclined neighbors to try out what’s possible with the new technology.
While the theatre is temporarily closed for the COVID-19 epidemic, a fluctuating group of members has been meeting every week to rehearse and present readings to the club and friends and families via Zoom.
Two short plays from the cancelled New Ideas Festival were also performed as part of the National Arts Centre #CanadaPerforms series. (Lizard Season added a jungle backdrop while playwright Helena Raposo quickly rewrote The Unholy State of Matrimony as a family Zoom meeting.) Meanwhile, Alumnae’s New Play Development Group will be holding their annual Big Ideas Festival online.
Emoting while reading an online script as an all-new challenge for Alumnae members. Anyone who’s participated in an online meeting or cocktail hour is familiar with the potential technical difficulties. The readings feature occasional disappearances and rapid actor switches. But Germain Greer’s well-known “Lysistrata” did at least include a few authentic Roman bath backgrounds.
Alumnae will return to the physical stage eventually. But in the meantime, if you’d be interested in reading a part, please see our website for membership
details. https://www.alumnaetheatre.com/ For details on reading please contact pastpresident@alumnaeth
