By Cassandra Castillo, Assistant Features Editor—
This semester, performers at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have had to adapt their performances to keep actors and audience members safe from infection.
As the theatre building was under construction for the much of the past year, actors grew accustomed to rehearsing in different areas across campus. This semester, however, they have had to adapt to new ways of acting entirely. Whether it means performing digitally or in person while standing six feet apart with facemasks, the UTC Theatre Company has devised some safe solutions.
Sophomore Isaiah Owens is an actor at the Theatre Company.
“As a performer or a person in the performing arts, you have to be able to adapt,” Owens said.
The theatre department’s staff have created a plan designed to ensure the safety of performers taking theatre classes and all others in the UTC Theatre Company.
Associate Head of Performing Arts Steve Ray also acts as the artistic director of the Theatre Company.
“The theatre faculty and staff have put our heads together and developed some really innovative projects that keep students safe and still meet course and program objectives,” Ray said.
According to Ray, students are able to perform, but not as they did before due to the concerns generated by the pandemic. They have had to come up with methods that follow safety guidelines on and off the stage.
“The primary safety concerns with acting are the social distance between actors and the increased distance of the spread of aerosolized exhalations due to the fact that speaking on stage requires more force of air than normal speaking,” Ray said. “For our first production, we are performing an absurdist play, ‘The Bald Soprano,’ live, but none of the actors are speaking.”
“We have physical actors acting out movements, and we got voice actors saying the lines in distinct voices,” Owens said about their first show. “The second show is the Greek classic ‘Antigone’ which will be streamed digitally in the near future, hopefully.”
Their first performance, held in the Chamberlain Pavilion Sept. 19 and 20, was limited to 50 audience members. The show consisted of voice actors behind plexiglass doing the voices and sound effects for those on stage who were socially distanced and wearing masks.
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The seating layout for the UTC Theatre Company performance on Chamberlain Field allows for a safe distance between members of the audience. Social distancing between non-related individuals and face masks were required of the attendees. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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Andrew Roedel (right), The Fire Caption, looks at Jaden Partain’s character, Mr. Smith during a tense moment in the production of The Bald Soprano. Due to COVID-19, two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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Lauren Mund, who plays Mrs. Martin in The Bald Soprano, swings a pair of stockings during the final scene of the production. Due to COVID-19, two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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Steve Ray, Associate Head of the UTC’s department of Performing Arts, watches the Theatre Company’s production of The Bald Soprano, which he directed. Due to COVID-19, the performance took place at Chamberlain Field and two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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Andrew Roedel, The Fire Captain, awaits his character’s debut in the production of The Bald Soprano. Due to COVID-19, two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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Blaine Evans narrates the voices of the male characters on stage. Due to COVID-19, two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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Sarah Bidini and Jaden Partain prepare to reenter the stage for their scene as Mrs. and Mr. Smith in The Bald Soprano. Due to COVID-19, two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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Logan Lynn (right) narrates the voice of Mrs. Martin, Lauren Mund (left). Due to COVID-19, two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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Lauren Mund (right) and Isaiah Owens (left), who play Mrs. and Mr. Martin in The Bald Soprano, skip across the stage. Due to COVID-19, two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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Blaine Evans (right) narrates the voice of Mr. Smith, Jaden Partain (left) in the performance of The Bald Soprano. Due to COVID-19, two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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Dyna DeMerritt’s character Mary, The Maid interrupts Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s conversation. Due to COVID-19, two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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Jaden Partain begins his performance as Mr. Smith in The Bald Soprano. Due to COVID-19, two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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The seating layout for the UTC Theatre Company performance on Chamberlain Field allows for a safe distance between members of the audience. Social distancing between non-related individuals and face masks were required of the attendees. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
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The UTC Theater Department performs the absurdist play The Bald Soprano on Chamberlain Field. All of the cast, crew and audience wore wearing masks except the people doing voiceovers, who have cleverly been placed behind a tall plexiglass wall. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Ana Leonard)
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Lauren Mund (left) and Isaiah Owens (right), who play Mrs. and Mr. Martin in The Bald Soprano, sit during the final scene of the production. Due to COVID-19, two voiceover actors narrated every character behind a plexiglass shield while the actors wore masks. Sunday, September 20, 2020. (Photo by Stephanie Swart)
“This has made for a fascinating performance,” Ray said. “I find myself forgetting that the actors aren’t actually speaking because my mind has been so conditioned not to see people’s lips move when they speak due to the masks. Then I look to the side of the stage and see the voice actor and my brain freaks out—in a good way.”
Their second act of the semester, set to premier in October, will be accessed digitally. For this “Antigone” performance, actors will be filmed individually to later be edited into one session. Ray, who is directing this unconventional rendition of the play, said that he believes these actors are learning valuable skills for the future with these two performances. It will allow the performers to develop film-acting techniques, voice acting skills, and physical theatre.
“This semester, social distancing is a major gateway into the world of the unknown,” Owens said. “We all, especially me, miss having in-person courses all together, but we know it’s for the best. It’s a great testimony to our skills as artisans and performers.”