Back In Full Force? What Columbia's Theater Scene Has In Store For You

Upper West Side NY

28 August, 2021

5:32 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY JANE LOUGHMAN AUGUST 27, 2021 After a year of Zoom shows and pre-filmed performances, Columbia's student theater groups and the Barnard theater department are hoping to welcome back in-person audiences. From 22-hour musicals to staged readings, the theater scene will have something for everyone this fall. Beginning in the second week of the fall semester, new and returning students who have yet to dip their toes into the theater scene will have the opportunity to audition for parts and interview for the crews of upcoming student shows. In the Columbia University Performing Arts League, there are seven year-round, student-run productions ranging from Shakespeare plays to satirical musicals about life at Columbia. Barnard's theater department is also open for non-theater majors to enroll in classes and take part in productions. Executive Producer of Black Theatre Ensemble Emily Ndiokho, BC '22, encourages incoming students to approach the theater scene with openness and to try something new. "Who knows if we'll even be here [on campus] past Halloween? Seize the day while you can ... Take advantage of the newness and weirdness of everything," she said. Christian Palomares, CC '22, was the director of the 127th Varsity Show and has been an active member of the theater group since he was a first-year. He believes that joining a community in the theater scene can guide students to establish their place in college. "Finding a community is really, really helpful in making sure that you not only feel less lost but also make the most of your time here and find people who want to support you and who will be your friend. … All these theater groups are just about building a community so you have a kick-ass couple years in college," Palomares said. Despite the uncertainty the pandemic brings to the upcoming season, the theater community is eager to create art no matter the medium. The groups hope that by the time the dates of their mainstage productions roll around, audiences will be in the plush seats of the Glicker-Milstein Theatre, Miller Theatre, or the Minor Latham Playhouse. "Scars of Metamorphosis," by Anjali Ramakrishnan, BC '23, will be staged this semester by New and Original Material Authored and Directed by Students or NOMADS. This interdisciplinary play requires an interactive mode and a responsive audience, exploring the human psyche through theatrical conventions and storytelling tropes. Ramakrishnan hopes to engage an in-person audience but imagines that the play can also be translated to an online format if needed. Both Columbia Musical Theatre Society and BTE are planning in-person productions and hope to announce their respective musicals in the coming weeks. Lucas Gomez, CC '22, who will direct BTE's musical, expressed their excitement in having a diverse cast to bring their vision to life; Gomez hopes to bring parts of their own Afro-Brazilian culture into the production as well as to celebrate other South American cultures. The fall mainstage show for Columbia University Players will likely be an adaptation of James Joyce's short story "The Dead," directed by Celia Krefter, CC '22, and stage managed by Jennie Yu, BC '22. The CU Players President Isa Pierce, CC '22, vouches for Krefter and Yu, believing the pair will think on their feet and adapt if indoor performances are no longer possible. The director and stage manager have a positive outlook, already considering an outdoor option as a contingency plan. "We have really creative people at our disposal, and being put into complicated or constricted positions often allows people to be more creative and create new ways to be theatrical that we wouldn't necessarily have thought of if we weren't in these circumstances," Pierce said. The theater community thrived despite the restrictions they faced during the past two semesters online. From CU Players' cross-collaborative production of "Radio Island'' to CMTS's filmed spring performance, the clubs produced a variety of plays and performances that were unique and unlike many productions done before at Columbia. In the spring, Barnard's theater department produced "On Loop," performed live for a remote audience. After working on "On Loop'' as a virtual assistant director, Madison Hatchett, BC '22, predicts that the department and student clubs will continue to make use of ways to make shows as inclusive and accessible as possible, even as the city continues to open up. Keeping the hardship of Zoom fatigue in mind, Columbia's theater clubs have become more cognizant of the time and energy required to participate in productions. NOMADS shortened rehearsal times and provided mental health talks to ease the load of the online semesters. The group's community chair Abigail Duclos, BC '23, wishes to translate this focus on wellbeing and mental health to the in-person theater season as well. Other theater groups have followed suit. As vice president of CMTS, Krefter has noticed a shift in the musical theater club from a more professional, competitive culture to one that prioritizes joy and fun. "We talked a lot about striking more of a balance between us having good quality work that people can feel proud of … but also taking into account the more human aspects of the process—the accessibility of the groups and theater, people's wellness, and just general fun," Krefter said. CMTS President Kate Purdum, BC '22, adds that she thinks that CMTS has returned to its original mission, which is to bring people who have a passion for any aspect of musical theater together. "Or even if you don't even like musicals, you can still do CMTS!" she said. Purdum and Krefter credit previous CMTS President Eliza Ducnuigeen, BC '21, for re-shifting the club's focus. The theater community looks forward to returning to more normal performances after being challenged by the restraints of online productions. Sydney Gerlach, BC '24, is an undergraduate representative of the Barnard theater department along with Purdum and is one of many students who will be experiencing the Columbia theater scene in full force for the first time this semester. She had a taste of in-person college theater last spring as an ensemble member of "The Penelopiad," directed by Alexandra Haddad, BC '21, at the Barnard Senior Thesis Festival. While the show was livestreamed, just being in a theater made all the difference. "I think that true theater has to be done in person, and it's just so much more enriching [...] not only for the audience and for the art that's being made, but I also formed a lot of really great connections that I was missing that first semester," Gerlach said. Beyond the main stage, there will be other smaller shows and events held by the theater clubs over the course of the year. NOMADS will have its WordPlay staged reading event, an opportunity for students who want to try acting but not commit to a mainstage production. The Varsity Show cast alumni will be performing an abridged Varsity Show for new students during NSOP as their introduction to the show. BTE will be holding its 22-hour musical rendition of "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Musical." Hatchett, as co-president of BTE, emphasized that the ensemble is Black-centered but not Black exclusive. While its primary aim is to amplify Black voices, the group welcomes all who understand its purpose of being a safe and comforting space for Black students. "You just are in this moment with these people doing things that you love, and, at the end of the day, that's what a community is meant to be," Hatchett said. Members of Columbia's theater community stressed the importance of just going for it: audition for a show, join a crew, or attend a reading. President of NOMADS Ellie George, BC '23, reflects on her first-year experience of joining a production she did not immediately understand. "I would say even if you aren't sure what the thing is, try out for it anyway because it might be a hidden gem, and now I have this amazing community [...] I would say definitely pull back the covers and audition for the shows that you might not exactly know what's up," George said. Staff writer Jane Loughman can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @queenofquirk. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.