The show must go on: Theater made for a virtual world

This winter term, the theater cast and crew are bringing, “In Love and Warcraft,” a story about a female World of Warcraft gamer and love guru, Evie Malone. The story follows Evie through the ups and downs of her surprisingly messy love life. It’s an adult play about a love strategist, who found out that love actually has no strategy.

Four performances are scheduled for “In Love and Warcraft:” Friday and Saturday, February 26 and 27 and the following Friday and Saturday, March 5 and 6. All showings begin at 7 p.m. For more information email the UCC theater director Christina Allaback at Christina.Allaback@umpqua.edu.

“In Love and Warcraft” represents Allaback’s flexibility and tenacity. Major hurdles for live performances blindsided UCC’s theater production during this pandemic; however the theater group, under her leadership, created unique adaptations to meet the challenges of preforming under social distancing.

The department found themselves having to pivot quickly from their original 2020 spring musical plans once COVID-19 restrictions went into effect. A quick move to a winery saved the musical, “Tick, Tick, Boom,” and the winery facilitated Roseburg’s first drive-in live show. Another showing was on the Umpqua Valley Art Association lawn.

UCC theater then experimented with virtual performances, something not yet common in the wider theater community. Two productions planned after the spring musical, “Love Letter” and “Chris Dicked,” were live streamed to the UCC Theater Facebook Page.

The company’s fall 2020 production was “War of the Worlds,” a radio play that lent itself nicely to virtual theater. By the winter holiday season, “It’s a Wonderful Life” was successfully underway and live streamed.

The social distancing adaptations were less time consuming than the theater group anticipated. They found virtual productions afforded them more time between rehearsals and production than live theater. “It’s a tight knit cast,” Jesika Barnes said in a ZOOM interview.

Barnes said the cast flew through rehearsals. “Extra time meant extra productions,” Barnes said.

The cast produced several performance shorts with the extra time which can be found on Facebook; the most recent short is called “Made of Meat.”

After the final March performance of “In Love and Warcraft,” the theater group starts work on an abstract absurdist style play titled, “Dwindling.” Members of the cast are particularly excited to start work on “Star Trek,” a social distancing musical theater production scheduled after “Dwindling” production closes.

The new virtual production platform requires attendees to purchase a ticket online prior to the show. Tickets cost $5, but since UCC theater performances are typically free for UCC students, ASUCC has free tickets available for students unable to purchase tickets online.

Friday and Saturday Feb 26/27 & Mar 5/6

Cast and Crew

Director
Christina Allaback

Evie
Ariel Hicks

Kitty
Jesika Barnes

Raul
Andrew Laniohan

Ryan
Chris Lyon

Tony, Jerry, Soledad, Priest, Lucas
Thomas Weaver

Chair, Claire, Charlotte, Gamer, Pearl
Cariss EricksonParagraph

Doctor, Tiphanee, Random Gamer, Movie Theatre people
Nakaela Hunt