COC Theatre Department announces virtual shows

The College of the Canyons Theatre Department is set to hold three virtual performances this fall in light of COVID-19 restricting most on-campus activities.

Students, faculty and staff will audition, rehearse and perform these plays virtually, according to COC officials.

“We are dedicated to continuing our commitment to our students and their educational goals,” said Jennifer Smolos, dean of the college’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, in a news release about the performances.

“While many other colleges and programs have postponed or canceled performances and performance-based training courses, we continue our work to find innovative ways to adapt to this new learning environment. Flexibility is paramount for artists and it remains very important to us that we make virtual performance opportunities available to our students.”

The performances set to be staged by the department are “110 Stories,” “Woyzeck” and an original piece created by the students centered around COVID-19.

These are three very different pieces, with different experiences for our students,” said David Stears, producer for the theater department, also in the release. “While we are not on stage, there are still tremendous opportunities for training and learning.”

The auditions for the play will be held in the first week of fall semester, which begins Aug. 24. Dates for the performances have not yet been decided.

For more information about auditions this fall, or about the theater program, please visit the department’s webpage at https://www.canyons.edu/academics/ theatre/index.php.