From 2019 until 2021, I was a student at Villanova University getting my Master’s in Theatre and a Master’s of Public Administration certificate. Unfortunately, this was right as the pandemic began in 2020 and all my classes were made remote for months. Theatre classes, remote? Seems like a tough thing to do, but our class managed. I was able to put all my audio visual skills to the test and suddenly, I was performing in my office in front of a green screen with lighting and microphones instead of on a stage at the university. As the pandemic restrictions eased, we were able to meet in person eventually, socially distanced and masked of course! The inability to gather really put a damper on live theatre. Without the prospect of a paying audience, theatres typically cannot afford the rights to a work, and filming that piece for broadcast is usually forbidden or cost prohibitive. This meant only newly written or devised work could be performed effectively cancelling 2 seasons of programming, including 2 musicals. The first is now back on Broadway, Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” the second was Gershwin’s “Crazy for You” which has been rescheduled and is happening now in 2024. Despite the issues during the pandemic, I highly recommend this program, especially now with the new The John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts featuring 2 brand new, state of the art theaters! I have been lucky enough to have been asked back for 2 musicals as an alumni, easily making up for the missed opportunities due to the pandemic. For more information about this program, go here. To see what’s currently showing at Villanova Theatre, click here!
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