Cohoes Music Hall online programs
COHOES, N.Y. » “If we can give back, we ought to,” says Owen Smith, the executive producing director of Playhouse Stage Company.
The statement was made in regard to why the theater company has decided to offer four online shows a week.
At 10 a.m. Monday and Wednesday they are producing Toddler Time. On Tuesdays at 4 p.m., they will offer an hour of song. And on Thursdays, the 4 p.m. slot will be devoted to dance. Fridays will feature taped scenes from past Playhouse productions.
Tomorrow will be “Run Freedom Run” from the musical “Urinetown.” Despite the title, it is suitable for family viewing. All are offered free of charge.
Toddler Time will consist of creating some fun activites and games geared towards 2-5 year olds. Singing will be led by teacher-performer Brandon Jones and after vocal warmups, a new song will be taught. The Thursday dance segment is mostly about movement. Ashley-Simone Kirchner will lead warm-ups and movement techniques to keep the body moving.
Smith says the Toddler programs are geared towards offering parents a bit of a respite while their kids are home. “A lot of parents are home now as are their kids. We hear a lot of funny stories from parents who are losing their minds. We thought an hour a day of enrichment entertainment would be welcome, to say nothing about an hour’s break for parents who are trying to entertain their kids.”
However, the song and dance segments are for those interested in theater training. A professional instructor will teach a new song or dance routine every week.
The programs can be accessed through the Playhouse website, parkplayhouse.com or their Facebook page and Instagram account.
As of now, all the effort put into the program, which is scheduled to run through April, is supported by the Playhouse. However, Smith said he is talking with several businesses who might be interested in being a corporate sponsor. He references the popularity of the Toddler show that has already registered more than 4,000 hits.
“It exceeded our expectations and proved to us that people are watching,” he said. He added that initial numbers should make the program attractive to sponsorship.
Smith says the online program is one aspect of how the organization is using digital streaming to fulfill its mission, maintain a public presence and perhaps expand its audience base.
Playhouse Stage Company, is the winter arm of Park Playhouse. It operates at the Cohoes Music Hall in Cohoes, and is deeply involved in teaching theater arts.
They have an intense program geared for students who intend to follow a professional path to theater. In many cases, their programs geared to high school age students include getting admitted to colleges who have an exceptional history of training professional actors. They also have programs geared to the young and very young.
Currently the organization is keeping in contact with their students online. Smith admits it is not the ideal way of training theater artists. He says, “There is no substitute for being with a student in person,” but quickly adds, “Something is better than nothing.”
He also takes the view that the social distancing policies offer an opportunity to go beyond teaching the basics.
“I am doing a lot of script work with individual students. Online teaching permits us to interact more on a one to one basis. I send a scene to a student and we work on breaking it down to find the highs and lows of what is going on without breaking the emotional flow.
“Scoring a scene is something we always try to incorporate in our training. If you ask any director what would make a performance better, they would say more table work and individual coaching. Now we have time to concentrate with our students in more depth. It gives them an emotional vocabulary that will enrich future performances.”
Playhouse Theatre is also conducting vocal and dance mentoring with their regular students. He admits that it is not advanced training, but the work is critical in keeping the students from backsliding. He says, “Our goal is to keep the students moving and doing vocal exercises. “It’s more than maintenance, and it is important.”
Smith points out that this online training is sort of bonus. The company’s winter classes closed just before the social distancing regulations went into place. The online classes are being offered without fees.
He says “Our stated mission is to provide accessibility to the performing arts. Smith claims this policy is part of the philosophy of giving back. “If we can, we should,” he says.
“People have been generous in their support of us over the years, now we can give something back in terms of being of service.”