BY: Jayla Brown
AUM’s campus looks completely different for everyone this semester. There has been a lot of change, which means a lot of adjusting to our “new normal”. This week I had the opportunity to catch up with Professor Neil Seibel about the changes happening in the theatre department.
When asked about adjusting to COVID-19 guidelines here at AUM, Seibel said, “We are adjusting. Theatre and the arts have always been about adapting to the circumstances, so in an odd way our students were rather uniquely prepared to handle the shift to hybrid experience.”
Many classes, activities, and club meetings on campus have been moved either strictly online or partially online. As for the theatre department, Seibel stated, “Instruction has moved to in-class and simulcast, meaning that on any given day students are tuning in via Zoom or masked and socially distanced.” He also went on to say that most rehearsals are done over Zoom and that these rehearsals are about “understanding the story, the characters, and their relationships to each other.”
On campus, students and employees are required to wear facial coverings and observe social distancing in all public areas. I was intrigued as to how the theatre department could do this and still hold rehearsals and productions.
When asked about the biggest challenge so far, Seibel stated, “The biggest challenges have been keeping everyone at 6’ minimum distance. We are a social bunch by nature, so staying apart has been hard.” Seibel also said, “Most of us have been affected by COVID either with family, friends or colleagues, so as a team Theatre AUM has really pulled together with making sure everyone is masked, washing our hands, using hand sanitizer, and taking care of ourselves.”
Last semester, Theatre AUM unfortunately had to postpone its production of Shadow of the Son by Kate Leslie. This semester they were able to resume, and Seibel said that “masks have been designed individually for each character’s costume.” The play will be released later this month or in early November. Theatre AUM will also be preparing for another production later this semester.
Seibel says the students here at AUM can support Theatre AUM by “tuning in to watch the production, which is free for AUM students, staff, and faculty. The best way is by sharing the link to the production on social media.” He also said there will be video recordings of the production available.