Carroll Theatre is moving its productions from the stage to the screen this fall.
After 165 people tuned in to the debut of its virtual production of “Almost, Maine” last week, the Carroll Theatre Department is following up with another online show this Thursday of the classic morality play “Everyman," which tells the story of a man's ascent into heaven. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire production had to be conducted virtually.
“Online auditions and rehearsals were a totally new experience for me,” sophomore Sohani Ramnani says. “Usually, when you audition under normal circumstances, you do it once and hope it goes well, but online auditions are completely different. I must have shot at least 70 different audition videos before I decided that one was good enough.”
Students got to rehearse their lines together during video calls over Zoom. Sophomore Zach Lacy says the online experience shifted the dynamic between him and his co-stars.
“Being online drastically changes the production,” Zach says. “Where we would usually be on stage working with big gestures and body movements, now we have to put emphasis on facial expression and vocal fluctuation. Overall, the media form of theatre has been drastically changed and impacted.”
The cast also records its show over Zoom and livestreams it on its YouTube channel. Theatre director Jamie Pringle says she loves being able to interact with her students online, though she can’t wait until they can do it again in person.
"Our No. 1 goal is to bring back live theatre to Southlake as soon as it is safe for our actors, technicians and audience members to do so,” Jamie says. “In the meantime, we are thrilled to be able to offer theatre straight to our audiences in their homes through Zoom, YouTube and a little bit of theatre magic.”
“Everyman” will premiere on Carroll Theatre’s YouTube channel at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 29. For more information on future Carroll Theatre shows, visit DragonDrama.net.