{"id":139520,"date":"2021-05-05T17:30:12","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T21:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=139520"},"modified":"2023-11-21T10:04:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T15:04:17","slug":"acting-with-a-mask-a-story-in-three-parts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2021\/05\/05\/acting-with-a-mask-a-story-in-three-parts\/","title":{"rendered":"Acting with a mask, a story about Bates theater in three parts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For many people, the idea of standing under the spotlight and reciting lines to a dimly seen audience is a daunting task. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now imagine giving an onstage monologue in a mask that hides your mouth and muffles your every word, forcing you to speak louder, enunciate more clearly, and breathe more deeply. No easy task, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facing the uncertainty of a pandemic while following rigorous COVID-19 protocols \u2014 including masks and physical distancing \u2014 this year\u2019s theater majors took to their tasks with determination, successfully completing directing or acting requirements in three live plays staged this spring, the college\u2019s first live performances in over a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Senior
Seated on a Gannett Theater catwalk, Nicky Longo \u201921 takes one last look at the set of Grand Concourse<\/em>\u2014 one of the first live Bates theater performances in a year \u2014 before its dress rehearsal on April 21. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bates theater returned to the stage in March with A Gaggle of Saints,<\/em> directed by Patrick Reilly \u201921 of Mendham, N.J.; Grand Concourse<\/em>, staged in April; and Twelfth Night<\/em>, directed by Deon Custard \u201821 of Chicago and now in performance at Schaeffer Theatre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently I spoke with three key figures involved in Grand Concourse<\/em> \u2014 director Nicky Longo \u201921, actor Perla Figuereo \u201921, and their advisor, Lecturer in Theater Cliff Odle \u2014 about the challenges, and unexpected rewards, of doing live theater in a pandemic. The cast also included Professor of French and Francophone Studies Kirk Read, Dawrin Silfa \u201921 of New York City, and Emily Diaz \u201923 of Corona, N.Y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicky Longo: When a hug is not a hug<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When Longo proposed Grand Concourse<\/em> as his senior thesis in directing back in February 2020, he had no way of predicting the pandemic\u2019s impact. However, his choice ended up being fortunate because actors wearing masks was a good fit with the play\u2019s setting, a soup kitchen in the Bronx. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe as a cast were basically like, \u2018OK, this play will be set in the COVID time.\u2019 It\u2019s a soup kitchen, so it kind of made sense that the people working there might be wearing masks to protect their food, themselves, and the people they\u2019re serving,\u201d said Longo, who is from Cambridge, Mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Senior
In Grand Concourse<\/em>, Dawrin Silfa \u201921 of New York City played Oscar, the handsome janitor of the soup kitchen. The kitchen island was added to the set to help the actors (Perla Figuereo \u201921 at center and Emily Diaz \u201923 at right) with physical distancing while staying in character. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the play itself didn\u2019t require much suspension of disbelief with COVID, Longo was challenged in restructuring some of the logistical elements. \u201cI would always show up to rehearsal early or stay late the night before and think about a scene we were about to do, like \u2018OK, they\u2019re supposed to hug here, how do you evoke the same things that a hug does without a hug?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longo is also a major in psychology, and he drew on lessons from that discipline when working through the challenges of directing masked actors. For one, he knew that his audience of mostly Westerners would likely have trouble interpreting the emotions of masked actors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Western societies, including the United States, \u201cpeople often interpret someone\u2019s emotions by looking at the mouth,\u201d Longo said, referencing a 2007 study on the topic. <\/a>On the other hand, the study found that people in Asian cultures focus more on the eyes than the mouth when interpreting others\u2019 emotions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Senior
In Grand Concourse<\/em>, Emily Diaz \u201923 of Corona, N.Y., played Emma, a recent college dropout who volunteers for Shelley, who runs the soup kitchen. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo here we are doing a play trying to convey emotions and now we\u2019re restricted to only using our eyes,\u201d Longo says. \u201cThat was definitely a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solution to this lay not just in channeling emotion through actors\u2019 eyes, but throughout their entire bodies. \u201cWhat we tried to do was really focus on gesturing,\u201d Longo said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He especially relied on the dance talent of one of his actors, Dawrin Silfa \u201921 of New York City, to emphasize full-body expression. \u201cWe were able to use his ability to be confident in space to physicalize emotions with our whole bodies, not just our mouths.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, Longo firmly believes that the constraints and adjustments made possible the theater department\u2019s in-person existence. \u201cMasks afforded us a safe way to come back together in this space and make live theater for people. We were just so fortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what the pandemic took away in terms of physical proximity, it also provided, through Zoom, greater access to external resources, including a Zoom visit with Grand Concourse<\/em>\u2019s playwright, Heidi Schreck, and Kip Fagan, who directed the play\u2019s world premiere in 2014. \u201cI don\u2019t know if we would have been able to do that without Zoom in our lives,\u201d Longo says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Senior
In Grand Concourse<\/em>, Professor of French and Francophone Studies Kirk Read played the role of Frog, one of the patrons of the soup kitchen. With his actors masked, director Nicky Longo put a premium on the actors using eyes and gestures to communicate emotions. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Perla Figuereo: When eyes become the face<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For Figuereo\u2019s senior thesis in acting, she played Grand Concourse<\/em>\u2019s lead role, a 39-year-old nun named Shelley who runs a soup kitchen in the Bronx. The role involves multiple monologues and requires highly emotional acting, both of which were made especially difficult with the use of masks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, enunciation was extra important because my words could easily get muffled into my mask,\u201d says Figuereo, who herself is from the Bronx. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Senior
In Grand Concourse<\/em>, Perla Figuereo \u201921 played the lead character, a nun named Shelley, who runs a soup kitchen in the Bronx. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I would practice in my room, I would practice with a mask on. Not only was it a challenge of just acting, but a challenge to make sure people heard me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the play, Shelley is pushed to the breaking point emotionally. \u201cI had a lot of scenes where I had to cry,\u201d Figuereo says. \u201cI think my eyes became my face. If I was annoyed, I would roll my eyes or if I was scared, I would bunch my eyebrows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many actors, Figuerio can cry on command. For her, \u201cit has to do a lot with breathing,\u201d she says. But during her masked-up Grand Concourse<\/em> scenes, tears weren\u2019t enough. So in one scene, she collapsed onto a desk, and then onto the floor, making her character\u2019s sadness a full-body experience.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Senior
“I think my eyes became my face,” says Perla Figuereo \u201921, about conveying emotion while wearing a mask. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The way a blacksmith needs a bellows, an actor needs strong breathing to make their lines heard. With a mask, \u201cI just had to be more mindful of my breathing. If I didn\u2019t catch my breath, if I didn\u2019t take time to breathe, then I would drown in my own mask,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t the hardest thing in the world, I just had to be more mindful of pronunciation, breathing, and body language.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the difficulties, Figuereo says that acting with a mask had silver linings. \u201cIt made our stage presence even better because we all have to use our bodies and our eyes to communicate the story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Figuerio envisioned her senior thesis differently and was saddened that her family couldn\u2019t see her perform in person, she said she was happy with her role and felt that she learned from the challenges it posed. \u201cI feel like I am a better actor now because of the people that surround us,\u201d she said. \u201cIt ended up being such a fun journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cliff Odle: When you come out from the wilderness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A theater faculty member who advises a senior thesis in directing is a guide on the side. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of checking in, monitoring, and giving advice,\u201d says Odle.  \u201cIt\u2019s making sure the student has what they need in order to have the best production possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like all other aspects of college life during a pandemic, the mise-en-sc\u00e8ne involved in staging Grand Concourse<\/em> required additional guidance and problem-solving. \u201cIt was a very intricate dance to keep people safe,\u201d Odle says. One example was placing a large island in the soup-kitchen set to ensure actors\u2019 physical distancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Senior
Using eyes and hands, Oscar, the handsome janitor of the soup kitchen played by Dawrin Silfa \u201921, of New York City, shows his affection for Shelley. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPart of the challenge was remembering you can\u2019t get too comfortable,\u201d said Odle of the actors\u2019 adjustments to wearing masks. \u201cYou have to project the idea that you\u2019re comfortable on stage, but you actually can\u2019t get too comfortable because as soon as you do, it\u2019s easy to lose your voice. You\u2019re not as articulate, you\u2019re not as vocal, and the mask will expose all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, of course, there was the ever-present threat that live theater would simply not be possible at all in 2020\u201321, whether due to a campus COVID outbreak or external disruption. The possibility that the show would end up being presented on Zoom \u201cwas always in the back pocket,\u201d Odle says.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Lecturer
In February 2020, Lecturer in Theater Clifford Odle addresses audience members in the Commons Fireplace Lounge during a performance of his short play According to Mark<\/em>. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it comes to how we do the work under these conditions, we were in the wilderness,\u201d Odle said. \u201cSo, the fact that they were able to do it is just awesome. The fact that there was a show with live people is a win, when a lot of professional theaters have not been able to do anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no doubt, Odle says, that Bates theater will carry forward the many lessons learned this year \u2014 whether about projection while acting with masks or how to deal with day-to-day uncertainty.  \u201cPeople are able to pull together under very difficult circumstances, and that\u2019s an experience you carry with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Senior
Capacity restrictions meant that only 10 audience members could attend Grand Concourse. They sat at tables meant to be part of the soup kitchen set, adorned with salt and pepper shakers, condiments, and napkin dispensers. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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