The show must go on
UNCSA launches initiatives to bring artists into homes around the world
When stages went dark and audiences stayed home, UNCSA artists showed that their growth and education does not end at the borders of the UNCSA campus—or because of the limitations imposed by a pandemic.
In the weeks following the shutdown, UNCSA launched several initiatives to bring artists into homes around the world.
One example: The School of Drama’s annual graduating senior showcase—a major pipeline between UNCSA and the professional world—was halted halfway through its four-city run. In response, the school pivoted to a virtual showcase model, with actors filming their monologues and songs at home and working with faculty via Zoom to refine and edit the footage they captured. Dean Scott Zigler notes that the virtual showcase helps students polish on-camera training and hone a skill that will be important throughout their careers when expected to provide self-produced video auditions, known in the business as “self-tapes.”
Meanwhile, in the School of Filmmaking, films from graduating seniors were available online for viewing by industry professionals for one weekend in May. The films included narrative films, animated films and documentaries. Two of the films, “échappé” and “Reality is Constructed,” featured dancers and collaborative choreography from the School of Dance.
“No other film school in the country offers access to conservatory-level dancers, musicians, actors, designers and technicians,” says Interim Dean Henry Grillo. “It’s what makes us unique.”
In addition to these targeted streaming experiences, UNCSA launched a digital hub for works created by students and faculty, past and present. This portal—“UNCSA On Demand”—is free to access and contains works that range from music performances recorded by faculty members in their living rooms to the online premiere of “Polovtsian Dances,” which premiered in 2014 and involved 130 students from multiple art schools.
“As artists, we are never not making our art,” says Chancellor Brian Cole. “Our students and faculty worked hard from their homes throughout the country this spring, and while they didn’t have access to our top-notch facilities, they found a way to let their talent shine in less typical locations.”