We’ve heard it a thousand times before, and we’ll hear it a thousand times again: we’re living in unprecedented times. From having to add a face mask to our pre-departure checklists to the sometimes painful distance between our friends and families, the reminder is always there. Now, students across the country are attending school from the comfort (or chaos) of their own homes. The challenges are numerous and seemingly impossible to overcome— for LaGuardia drama majors, even more so.
If you can reach back in the blurry recesses of your pre-pandemic memories, you might remember what the basement looked like. The quiet of early mornings, and the absolute pandemonium of dismissal. Maybe you remember the drama office, or the SDF wall, or walking by a classroom blasting “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Maybe you remember the stifling heat of the blackbox during scenes, or waving to Mr. Davidson as you pass him in the hallway. Or maybe you were just concentrating on getting through the basement crowds before the next bell. Maybe what you remember isn’t specific to drama at all—the smell of the tech hallway, or the sounds coming from the instrumental classrooms. Maybe what you remember are the people— your scene partners, the people you waited for after your drama block. The people you could rely on to have extra blacks.
All of these memories are tangible and achingly familiar. No doubt you recalled at least some of them with a rush of bittersweet warmth and a pang of nostalgia (although perhaps the locker room can stay forgotten). All these little details are truly what it means to be a LaG drama major. They were constants, comforts, even confidantes. Creating that same meaning at home has been difficult.
I talked to a few drama majors about the struggles and benefits of remote drama instruction. Hopefully they represent a cross section of the experiences we’ve all had in the last few months.
An obstacle that came up frequently was the virtual medium itself. Although Zoom and other online platforms are essential to our continued schooling, they can be a hindrance too, especially if your partner suddenly freezes in the middle of a scene. Cameron Jones, a junior in Mr. Stafford’s class, said that “it can be frustrating trying to get instructions from a teacher when you can only hear half of what they’re saying”. Other nuisances, like audio and visual problems, or screen sharing troubles, often take up valuable class time.
Technical difficulties aside, however, there is also a social aspect to acting through Zoom. Maica Quinn-Crandall, a freshman in Mr. Stafford’s class, spoke to an insecurity many of us have: “A lot of the time I’ll have my camera off, because I’m self-conscious of my room when it’s messy or how I look in the morning,” she said. Likely, she speaks for all of us. Being able to see ourselves is an uncomfortable awareness, and one that can often detract from our acting. Even with self-view hidden on Zoom, there’s the itchy fact that everyone else can see you.
Nearly all of us have classmates this year that we’ve never had a conversation with, for the freshmen, especially. Ely Rodriguez, a sophomore in Ms. Buffamanti’s class, admitted “it’s kind of hard to make connections with people in a new class” — a sentiment I’m sure many of us can relate to. Attending drama class online takes away the chunks of time when we were able to catch up with friends, make new friends, or mull over the loss of a friend that was put into a different drama class. Over Zoom, natural conversations are hard to hold; they often feel forced or inorganic.
Ely also commented on some of the positive aspects of acting online. “At home, you don’t have to worry about what other people are thinking, because they’re not even paying attention to the screen,” she said. There is a certain comfort and privacy to acting in your own space, without the physical presence of other actors in the room. Maica made the same point about breakout rooms: “If you’re in a scene, you get to have a room with just the people in your scene, and [the teacher] can check on us individually.” Although the time to socialize has been cut down a lot, Zoom gives us great tools to really concentrate on our craft and our work.
At the end of our conversations, I asked each of our fellow students if they had any advice to offer. Hopefully, you can take something from them that can help you get through the rest of the year.
Maica Quinn-Crandall, grade 9: “Making friends for me has been a big one -- especially as someone who’s new to the school, starting online—I’ve made a lot of really good friends. Making friends has just completely changed the experience for me. It’s what’s kept me going.”
Ely Rodriguez, grade 10: “Definitely try and put yourself out there, especially now, because we’re getting older. If you really wanna do drama in the future, it’s a little bit easier if you start applying for programs and auditioning for things now—even if you don’t get in. You’ll already know what’s coming in the future, so it’ll be a lot easier.”
Cameron Jones, grade 11: “Treat it like a regular class. Come on time. Prepare what you need for the class. Ask questions—I feel like it’s much harder over Zoom to ask questions, so make sure to ask questions. Just enjoy. Many people are focusing on the negative parts of it, but there are also many positive parts of just getting to do drama in general. Look at the glass half-full and not half-empty, because we will be going back next year.”
[Cover photo by Duha Elkhouli]