The School of Theatre and Dance in the WVU College of Creative Arts, in conjunction with West Virginia Public Broadcasting, films the production of “King Lear” in the Davis Theatre at the CAC March 23, 2021. (WVU Photo/Brian Persinger)
Students in the West Virginia University School of Theatre and Dance got a “real window into production,” performing Shakespeare’s “King Lear” even as COVID-19 restrictions halted public performances. Thanks to a collaboration with West Virginia Public Broadcasting, the show will be broadcast across the state later this year.
Quotes
“Performing and production is an essential component of theatre curriculum, for our seniors, this is their capstone project, and for graduate students, it’s their thesis project, so it was important to be able to host this production.”
“West Virginia Public Broadcasting has the huge and important mission of educating, so we see this as an opportunity to not only put on a Shakespeare play for our students, but to be able to reach children and teachers throughout the whole state. We are developing educational materials to package with the broadcast, so we really see this as a collaboration for the education of all West Virginians.”
“WVU has been incredibly supportive of our efforts and made it possible for everyone involved with King Lear to be tested for COVID three times a week. We take temperatures, wear masks and have tried to create a bit of a bubble for the entire team while filming is happening.”
“We have really gone all out on this production and the students are getting an experience that I can’t say I’ve seen from any other university during this pandemic. These students are getting a real window into the world of production and the West Virginia Public Broadcasting crew has been incredible with our students. Their level of professionalism in doing their jobs while showing our students the ropes has been great to watch.” — Jerry McGonigle, professor of acting and directing
Resources
Link to original story: WVPB helps WVU theatre students perform through pandemic
Target Audience
- Prospective students
- Supporters of the arts
- Individuals who appreciate the theater
- Shakespeare afficiandos
- College of Creative Arts alumni
- Educators
-WVU-
jc/04/29/21
CONTACT: Bernadette Dombrowski
Communications Specialist
College of Creative Arts
304-293-3397; Bernadette.dombrowski@mail.wvu.edu
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