{"id":372,"date":"2022-11-18T17:59:14","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T22:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/?p=372"},"modified":"2022-11-25T20:19:30","modified_gmt":"2022-11-26T01:19:30","slug":"giddy-energy-of-ottawa-live-theatre-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/2022\/11\/18\/giddy-energy-of-ottawa-live-theatre-returns\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Giddy energy\u2019 of Ottawa live theatre returns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><strong>By: Rey Zinck<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Gabbie Cruz says they \u201cfelt the giddy energy of all the actors\u201d Thursday at Sock \u2018N\u2019 Buskin Theatre Company\u2019s opening night of Dracula.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The performance at Carleton University featured actors running off the stage and into the audience \u2013 something that hasn\u2019t been possible for almost three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is what they love doing, and you can really feel that in the way they perform,\u201d said Cruz, the co-artistic director of Sock \u2018N\u2019 Buskin, a student-led theatre company founded in 1943.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re all very grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Concord Floral returns to the stage tonight @ 7:00! Click the link in our bio to purchase tickets to view the livestream! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ConcordFloral?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ConcordFloral<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AMwEIPQmxh\">pic.twitter.com\/AMwEIPQmxh<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Sock &#39;n&#39; Buskin Theatre Company (@snbtheatre) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/snbtheatre\/status\/1372991687627304965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 19, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>COVID-19 restrictions seriously disrupted live theatre, darkening many stages for months on end. As mask and vaccine mandates began to lift in advance of this production season, Ottawa\u2019s local theatre scene is making a comeback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Janne Cleveland, co-ordinator of drama studies at Carleton, called the 2020 onset of COVID-19 a \u201cdire circumstance\u201d for live theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn the beginning, when everything shut down, theatres shut down \u2026 it was the right decision, but it was very hard on the industry,\u201d Cleveland said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to her, many cast and crew were forced to leave the industry to find other work. She says this caused a persistent shortage of technicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Adrian McCarthy, a 22-year-old theatre student at the University of Ottawa, the pandemic forced a production he was involved in to shut down just a couple of months before opening night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was pretty heartbreaking,\u201d McCarthy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jane Pick, director of the Kanata Theatre box office, said a loss in income was another challenge live theatre faced during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen you have a lockdown, you do not have income coming in, but you still have the expenses of running the building,\u201d Pick said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">People are raving about \u201cDoubt: A Parable\u201d calling it a \u201cmust see!\u201d And \u201cbrilliant performance!\u201d<br><br>Come see for yourself! Tickets available at <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0q6Wq3XnYw\">https:\/\/t.co\/0q6Wq3XnYw<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Ottawa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Ottawa<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ottcity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ottcity<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/KanataCarleton?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#KanataCarleton<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/KanataNorth?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#KanataNorth<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/KanataSouth?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#KanataSouth<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jVZVIxicIU\">pic.twitter.com\/jVZVIxicIU<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Kanata Theatre (@KanataTheatre) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KanataTheatre\/status\/1591312102479650817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 12, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Cruz said Sock \u2018N\u2019 Buskin dealt with the pandemic\u2019s challenges in innovative ways. In its first entirely online production season, the company offered virtual shows specifically designed for Zoom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cleveland says many theatre companies made a similar effort to move their productions to an online-friendly format, but this method, according to her, had its pitfalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA lot of it didn\u2019t work very well because you didn\u2019t have that liveness,\u201d Cleveland said. \u201cYou need that three dimensionality for this medium to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, Vishesh Abeyratne, who works at the Great Canadian Theatre Company\u2019s box office and is artistic facilitator for Teesri Duniya Theatre, said Zoom was an \u201cideal platform\u201d to test out scripts and hear how they sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe pandemic provided me time to write, which I milked for all it was worth,\u201d Abeyratne said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that pandemic restrictions are beginning to lift, local theatre is starting to look like it did before the pandemic \u2013 with one noticeable difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pick said she noticed about 95 per cent of Kanata Theatre\u2019s patrons now wear masks despite mask mandates being lifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Cleveland, this culture of COVID-19 safety in live theatre might be related to the high stakes of live theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf your actors are out, your show is down, you\u2019re not making money,\u201d Cleveland said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe lesson that I\u2019ve been trying to teach people is just to take care of themselves,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cI think everyone\u2019s super excited to get back on stage, but I wouldn\u2019t want them to put themselves at risk for any reason.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">And we&#39;re off! Thank you to everyone who joined us for opening night.<br><br>&quot;Forever Young: A Ghetto Story&quot; <br>by Darrah Teitel<br>directed by Sarah Kitz<br>Designers:<br>sound by Oliver Fairfield<br>lighting by Seth Gerry<br>costume by Vanessa Imeson<br>set by Brian Smith<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/y84MYkYdUR\">https:\/\/t.co\/y84MYkYdUR<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/K94TR2Qf6N\">pic.twitter.com\/K94TR2Qf6N<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Great Cdn Theatre Co (@GCTCLive) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GCTCLive\/status\/1591100821508624385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 11, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Another shift in live theatre spurred on by the pandemic is a heightened awareness of the need for community, Cleveland added. \u201cThere were people who just broke down and cried when they entered the theatre because they were overwhelmed with the sense of coming back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abeyratne has observed the same thing. \u201cThere\u2019s a real hunger for live theatre.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are many people who are just really starved for that level of connection and community that theatre does provide,\u201d Abeyratne said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back at Carleton, Cruz said this year\u2019s production of Dracula is the closest-to-normal show Sock \u2018N\u2019 Buskin has produced since the beginning of the pandemic, namely because of the live audience and full staff backstage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDracula has done a lot of cooler things that we couldn\u2019t do if we weren\u2019t in person,\u201d they said. \u201cIt actually feels like an actual production, and now we get to experiment a lot more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Dracula runs from Nov. 17 to 20. For more information, visit www.socknbuskin.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>COVID-19 restrictions seriously disrupted live theatre, darkening many stages for months on end. As mask and vaccine mandates began to lift in advance of this production season, Ottawa\u2019s local theatre scene is making a comeback.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"Sock 'N' Buskin Theatre Company is running a live production of Dracula from Nov. 17 to 20. \"Our goal is to put on shows that people want to see, and people want to be in,\" the co-artistic director Gabbie Cruz said. (Rey Zinck\/Reloading News)","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,5],"tags":[63,9,58],"ppma_author":[29],"class_list":["post-372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-news","tag-arts","tag-ottawa","tag-theatre"],"authors":[{"term_id":29,"user_id":9,"is_guest":0,"slug":"reaganzinck","display_name":"Rey Zinck","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/IMG_20221115_124202_221-scaled-e1668556723171.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/IMG_20221115_124202_221-scaled-e1668556723171.jpg"},"user_url":"","last_name":"Zinck","first_name":"Rey","description":"Rey hails from Brockville, Ont. and enjoys writing about politics and arts &amp; culture. During the pandemic, she taught herself how to knit and used songwriting as a way to cope with the lonely lockdowns. Rey's new normal includes spending time with Wilbur, her six-stringed best friend, and watching an unhealthy amount of political commentary."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":619,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372\/revisions\/619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}