{"id":90622,"date":"2020-05-27T10:45:39","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T14:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=90622"},"modified":"2020-05-27T11:13:18","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T15:13:18","slug":"video-spotlights-theatre-students-broadway-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2020\/05\/27\/video-spotlights-theatre-students-broadway-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"Video Spotlights Theatre Students, Broadway Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

When UMW Theatre performed Adam Gwon\u2019s musical Ordinary Days<\/em> in February, students couldn\u2019t anticipate that just weeks later, they\u2019d yearn for rehearsals with castmates and performances in front of live audiences.<\/p>\n

\"UMW
UMW students Oscar Le\u00f3n (left), Genesis Simmons (center) and Hannah Chester (right) were thrilled for the opportunity to perform together again – albeit remotely – alongside Broadway stars and theatre students from other universities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They also couldn\u2019t have guessed they\u2019d get to sing one of Gwon\u2019s songs alongside Broadway stars.<\/p>\n

Seven UMW Theatre students were selected to appear in a YouTube video featuring aspiring young thespians from schools across the country. Dubbed a \u201cquarantune,\u201d their version of \u201cGet Me Outta Here\u201d<\/a> from Gwon\u2019s musical String<\/em> has already been viewed by thousands. Virtual projects like this, as well as Mary Washington\u2019s recent Much Ado About Nothing<\/em> Zoom production<\/a> and reimagining of Dear Evan Hansen<\/em>\u2019s \u201cAnybody Have a Map?\u201d<\/a> give theatre students the chance to hone in on their craft for the digital age. And the experiences allow them to connect and collaborate with peers and industry professionals during the lockdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpportunities to perform, even from far away, have helped me channel my emotions and feel less isolated,\u201d said Riley Salazar, a rising UMW junior who starred in Ordinary Days<\/em>, which she said prepared her to tackle Gwon\u2019s complex melodies.<\/p>\n

As the pandemic dimmed the lights of Broadway and COVID-19 cases began to soar in New York and nationwide, Gwon felt anxiety and unease. So did his partner, who joked that the quarantine made him feel like he was stuck in \u201cGet Me Outta Here,\u201d in which characters get trapped in an elevator.<\/p>\n

Teaching master classes over Zoom, Gwon wanted to give college students a creative outlet while they were stuck at home, concerned about their futures. \u201cI was inspired by their resilience and dedication,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re pursuing a career already filled with so much uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n

The celebrated off-Broadway composer and lyricist sent sheet music and lyrics to faculty contacts, including Mary Washington production advisor Brandon Prendergast, with whom he had connected when UMW presented Ordinary Days<\/em>. Theatre and Dance Chair Gregg Stull reached out to his students and encouraged them to apply.<\/p>\n

Participants had a week to record their parts and submit videos to Gwon for editing. Singers were selected from Boston Conservatory at Berklee; the universities of Pittsburgh, Oklahoma and Nebraska-Lincoln; and Boston, Carnegie Mellon, Millikin and Oakland universities. But the largest bloc came from Mary Washington, Gwon said.<\/p>\n

\"Seven <\/a>
Seven UMW students participated in Adam Gwon’s ‘Get Me Outta Here’ video, the largest group from any university. Top row: Oscar Le\u00f3n ’22 (second from left) and Hannah Chester ’23 (third from right). Middle row: Genesis Simmons ’23 (fourth from left) and Riley Salazar ’22 (third from right). Bottom row: Diana Bloom ’21 (third from left), Lydia Hundley ’20 (third from right) and Jessica Elkins ’20 (far right). <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

\u201cFrom the number of submissions from UMW, I got the sense they were a tight-knit company of actors that really missed being onstage together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contributing to the four-minute YouTube production was different from working in live theatre, said junior Oscar Le\u00f3n. \u201cYou aren\u2019t interacting with fellow actors and don\u2019t know what choices they\u2019re making.\u201d<\/p>\n

The song\u2019s lyrics remain unchanged from the musical, but in the video, they\u2019re applied to the current situation. The quarantine\u2019s more comical aspects \u2013 extreme boredom, lack of toilet paper and wondering if a sneeze is just a sneeze \u2013 are combined with real feelings about the pandemic like fear, frustration, regret and loneliness. \u201cIf you can make someone laugh, you give them permission and courage to look at the difficult moments,\u201d Gwon said.<\/p>\n

Cameos from Gwon\u2019s Broadway friends, like Santino Fontana, Bonnie Milligan and Vishal Vaidya, pop up as social media posts or television spots throughout the video.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the way we\u2019re all connected right now, through these various screens,\u201d said Gwon, who wanted to show students that everyone in the theatre industry has had their career put on hold.<\/p>\n

Sophomore Hannah Chester said she enjoyed showcasing UMW Theatre\u2019s hard work and reuniting with her friends and classmates \u2013 albeit remotely. But like Salazar and Le\u00f3n, she\u2019s eager to get back onstage at Mary Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter all this is over and we go back to live theatre,\u201d Le\u00f3n said, \u201cI think we\u2019ll see some of the most pure and vulnerable performances we\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n