01:17:49
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About
04/16/2021
To view the program for this show, go to this link: Scroll down to the bottom of this description and click the link. DIRECTOR'S NOTE This play was selected because of how it might resonate with young people feeling isolated during this pandemic. The main character, Segismundo, through no fault of his own, is forced to live in isolation in a tower, his only access to the world through his caretaker Clotaldo. I never considered trying to do the full two and half hour play online. I had seen a few online “Zoom” type shows and found the shorter ones held my interest. But how do we cut Calderón’s masterpiece down to under an hour and still keep the beauty and richness of the play and its poetry? Inspired by many of the approaches to “still doing theatre” that I have watched during this pandemic, I came up with the premise you will see tonight. The students embraced it and created the ad libs and fun style of the “Zoom” session themselves. I hope you find our hour long show enjoyable and inspiring. I especially hope that it will lead you to reading Calderón’s masterpiece on your own. On a personal note, since I am retiring at the end of the semester, I would like to extend my thanks to Colin McKay for giving me the opportunity to teach at ELAC all those many years ago and to my family for being so supportive of my passion for theatre and for teaching. I would also like to thank all of my colleagues. Most of all I must thank the students who have always inspired me to do my best. Even when my best didn’t quite hit the mark, I learned so much from all of them that it made me better and I will always be grateful to them. As William Shakespeare put it in Twelfth Night: “I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks.”
Attachments
Life is a Dream Program
2 MB
