Fall show switches to online format
Play to be shown on Broadway website
Used with permission from Jodi Schifsky
January 7, 2021
The Park Theatre Program has held live performances for the community for years, but the performances this year will look a little different. This year’s fall show will be streamed online Nov. 8 – Nov. 10 due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, according to director Jodi Schifsky.
“The show will stream this Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.,” Schifsky said. “We had to do it a little different this year.”
According to sophomore Emma Samuels, the fee to watch the show goes to the Park theatre program as well as Broadway on Demand.
“It’s five dollars a ticket and most of it goes to the theatre but the rest of it is a fee to be able to use Broadway on Demand,” Samuels said.
The show will be streaming on Broadway on Demand, an official Broadway website that features productions from different shows across the United States, according to Schifsky.
“It’s a website that a lot of New York theaters use and actually regional theaters throughout the country are using as well,” Schifky said. “It’s great to feel so professional to be on Broadway on Demand.”
According to Samuels, they had previously filmed the show and added some elements to make sure it would be formatted well for online viewing.
“We recorded the show on Dec. 9, and then it was edited, which is why it’s being shown later than usual,” Samuels said. “Even though it’s not live, it was still really fun to perform.”
Sophomore Sophia Earle said performing the show online was out of the comfort zone of many actors in the show.
“It was definitely different — you only have a little box to fill with actions and expressions, so a lot of facial expressions had to be drawn out more and expressed more,” Earle said.
According to Schifsky, the show will be a great way for students to connect through distance learning and a good distraction for viewers of the show.
“I think it’ll be a good distraction for people. It’s nice to be able to see theater and even though it isn’t exactly live, it’s a great way to connect through the production and performance,” Schifsky said.
Although the fall show was much different than previous years, practiced and performed online, Earle is happy she joined the show.
“It was so fun to try something different, and now I can say that I was in a play over Zoom, which is pretty cool,” Earle said.
To watch the show, use the links below for each corresponding time.