Since March of Spring Semester, Cabaret has had empty risers and quiet evenings. If you are new to Rutgers and Cabaret Theatre you may not know this, but for Cabaret that is very strange. For those of us who have been lucky enough to work on productions in Cabaret in the past, it’s a huge loss. Last year student theatre companies across campus had no choice but to cancel their productions indefinitely and close the doors of their rehearsal spaces. LTC was no longer to put on their anxiously-awaited production of “Mamma Mia”, and those of us at Cab who were working on “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” had to halt production right before we were about to turn our blackbox theatre into an elementary school gym. The losses that us as college students have endured these past months in all aspects of our lives are hard to come to terms with, but yet, here we are pushing forward.
I’ve decided this school year is all about adaptation. Rearranging your life from what it used to be like and making it work in these very odd times. Staying sane is another important factor, and at least for me, this far into a global pandemic, I know I’m doing whatever I can to make each day a little more fun for myself to get by. So, as we all adapt to our new world, Cabaret is doing the same.
Drumroll please, here’s the scoop on our very exciting, very first virtual show.
Marquee by Paige Jarusiewicz
“Theater has traditionally consisted of actors, a stage, and an audience. We have taken the concept of a physical stage and moved it online.”
As always, for the first production of the new school year, Cabaret and The Livingston Theatre company have teamed up to create the back to school revue. This show obviously looks different from any other revue, or any other show, we’ve done in the past, but both companies were determined to make it happen. When it came to creating a theme and a storyline for the production, writer/ director Michael Einiger felt as though he was up to the task.
“When the pandemic hit, I knew it would be daunting for anyone to come up with a story that could translate well to the small screen. The storylines are loose, and much was left up to the interpretation of the performers, but ‘Keep Holding On’ is generally about a group of friends attempting to navigate their way through life in 2020, how being apart has affected them, and the way they bring hope and optimism into their lives, even when they feel at their lowest.”
The “rehearsal” process had its ups and its downs, and although as an outsider it’s been an interesting experience for me to hear my housemate belting at the top of her lungs in front of her iPad propped up on our kitchen counter, the cast themselves had a lot to reflect on and share about their first experiences working on a virtual production.
“Having been in last year’s revue I was looking forward to connecting with the cast and staff and I was nervous about how that was going to work out over zoom. I’ll admit it took a lot of getting used to, but we’ve all got into a pattern and become more comfortable not only with the virtual process but with each other. ”
“This virtual production has required a lot of time management between classes and getting recordings submitted but it’s been such a fun process!”
This modality of the show is something that we are going to have to get used to for the time being, but as Sabrina Dunn (Three) pointed out, “COVID-19 has made everyone feel so isolated so getting the opportunity to come together and create theatre again in any capacity has been so special”. And just like how we have been able to find bright moments in these recent months, after all of the “honestly, it’s been challenging” quotes, cast members always concluded with “there have been so many positive things that came out of working on this production”.
For each number, cast members had to record themselves singing while simultaneously listening to pre-recorded tracks made for them by the music directors. Some of you may be thinking, wow that’s so much easier! No audience, no stagefright, no problem, right? Well, not all of the cast members agreed. Many if not most of them found this to be one of the more challenging parts of the process.
Paige Jarusiewicz who plays TWO explained, “It’s very difficult to film yourself alone in a room and try to churn out a performance of I’m-singing-my-face-off-with-eight-other-people-plus-an-audience intensity”. I would venture to guess that many of the cast members have similar feelings, but from the sneak peaks I’ve been able to catch glances of, they have all pulled it off quite well. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? Cabaret regular Josh Rosensweig (SEVEN) told me, “It’s been a challenge, and nothing like I’ve ever done before. But I think that’s how you ultimately grow as a performer — by adapting to any obstacle that’s thrown your way and making it work to the best of your ability”. And then, of course, there are the technical difficulties...
” There would be times when I would have a perfect run of a song and then my phone would fall five feet down off of my DIY tripod of mounted books” - Nicole Vega, FIVE
Another unique quality to this show, unlike a traditional tech week, the cast of “Keep Holding On” will be experiencing their production in its entirety for the first time, along with the audience, on Friday night. “Since we all have not been in the same room together to record and have been doing work individually I am very interested and excited to see how this production pulls together”, says Danielle Russell (ONE). However, Zach Hassel (NINE) points out how these challenges can be beneficial in strengthening the process, “At times, it can be difficult to generate the creative energy that naturally flows when we are all together. But this has forced us to focus even harder on our own ability to be expressive and to project that energy across the barriers that separate us”.
Shannon Kathleen, who never got to make her Cabaret Theatre Spelling Bee debut due to COVID cancellations, says “I am sad that I don’t get to see these beautiful faces and hear these beautiful voices in person. It is strange that such a personal and intimate thing such as theatre now has to be conducted online. There is no energy feedback provided by the audience; you just have to do your best to perform to a camera or phone. Nonetheless, I’m so grateful that Cabaret and LTC are still keeping theatre alive in these hard and difficult times”. This of course makes us all sad to hear, and makes me personally nostalgic for the before times when I was able to run around cab without a care in the world, but I think the outcome of this production shows how promising the season ahead of us truly is.
Not only has this been a challenge for the cast, but also for the lovely PROSTAFF across the two theatre companies. If you are interested in getting involved with the rest of the season, these testimonies are great examples to go by about what this new experience is like for someone who works behind the scenes (or now.. behind the screen).
Miranda Mardrazo, one of our talented music directors shared, ”The experience has been challenging my ability to 'go with the flow' and has tested my confidence in my abilities to lead with music. It has been a great opportunity to learn from my fellow pro-staff members and has been fascinating to witness the complete arc of a show process, even when the outcome (and everything in between!) is uncertain”.
&
Grace Hazen, stage manager extraordinaire, “It's been interesting to create a show where we've had to experiment and tweak a familiar process. We're still going through the same steps of audition, rehearsal, and final production but the execution has been totally different. Everything has taken place on Zoom meetings or through pre-recorded video and audio, so there's a whole new element there we've had to navigate. At the same time, it's been so rewarding to see what we've done through this uncertainty and newness.”
Thank you to the entire cast and pro staff of this exciting production for answering some of my questions so we can continue to learn together about navigating this new world of student theatre together. We look forward to staying dedicated as a company to creating a show season that excites the community and encourages others to find ways to keep holding on. Stay informed with all things Cabaret Theatre and LTC by liking us on Facebook! There will be much more to come this fall…
Continue to stay safe, continue to wear your mask, and we hope to “see” you all this weekend for our revue!
SHOW DATES: (Virtual/Remote Performances)
Friday, September 25th at 8:00pm
Saturday, September 26th at 8:00pm
Sunday, September 27th at 2:00pm
TICKET RESERVATIONS (FREE ADMISSION):
Keep Holding On: A Musical Revue will be presented virtually through an online streaming platform. To receive the link via email to view this production, please RSVP/ fill out your contact information using the link below:
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSft0pPfR7j.../viewform...
Facebook Event Page Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/320066775987001/