If you were wondering what to do next weekend, the Majestic Theatre and OSU’s Music à la Carte have you covered.
COVID-19 related cancellations prompted entertainers and artists to experiment with new ways of sharing their art with a live audience. Both the Majestic Theatre and OSU’s College of Music strive to continue their tradition of sharing performing arts with the community through Facebook Live.
OSU’s Music à la Carte’s brown bag series is slated to run Fridays at noon, while the new Majesticpiece Theatre plans to run live performances on Saturday nights.
Majestic Theatre Launches Majestic piece Theatre
Although the Majestic Theatre is closed to the public until further notice due to COVID-19, they launched Majesticpiece Theatre to bring live community theatre to your home on Saturday nights streamed through Facebook Live.
“Community theatre is, by definition, theatre that is focused on building community,” says Majestic staff member and local director Rachel Kohler. “During this time of social distancing, it’s more important than ever to keep that community alive in whatever capacity we can, and we’re lucky to have the technology available to make that happen.”
Kohler directed the inaugural Majesticpiece Theatre performance of Midsummer Night’s Dream. Local actors submitted 30 audition videos. The cast was announced Wednesday night with just a couple of days to prepare for their Saturday night livestream performance. Actors have one dress rehearsal via Zoom before the final performance.
Kohler said, “We hope that this project will bring joy and connection to our huge and enthusiastic base of volunteers and the greater community of friends and patrons who will get to watch this weird and wonderful experiment in virtual theatre.”
A press release by Nate Hermanson describes how Majesticpiece Theatre will work:
“All plays are public domain and picked by each week’s director. Audition information is posted at the start of the week, actors have until Tuesday night to submit audition videos, Wednesday a cast list is posted, and Friday a dress rehearsal takes place before a performance on Saturday. All within a week, these whirlwind shows come together.”
For more information, to catch the audition announcements and to watch the performances, “Like” the Majestic Theatre’s Facebook page.
OSU College of Music à la Carte Series Streams Live
This Spring, OSU’s Music à la Carte “Brown Bag” series will also be live streamed through their Facebook Page on Fridays at noon. Prior streaming concert videos are also available on their Facebook page including the April 3 launch featuring Jan Michael Looking Wolf Reibach playing Native American Flute.
Since 1969, OSU has hosted the “Brown Bag” series in the Memorial Union on Fridays during fall, winter and spring terms. Due to COVID-19, the series is streaming only.
OSU announced the following performances, check their Facebook page for updates or cancellations:
April 10: Alicia Jo Straka, electric accordion, vocals. Straka, (formerly Alicia Baker) is a 2013 graduate of OSU who went on to complete her master’s degree at the University of Colorado. She works for instrument manufacturer Roland Corporation and continues to compose and perform.
April 17: Halie Loren, jazz/pop singer-songwriter. Based in Eugene, Loren’s accolades include Editor’s Pick on CD Baby, Independent Music Award for best jazz song of the year, and Top 10 Hot New Releases at Amazon.com in the U.S. and Canada.
April 24: William Seiji Marsh, guitar and vocals. Marsh, formerly of Eugene, now based in Los Angeles, is currently the guitarist for Pink Martini. He has toured and recorded with Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Lost Lander, Halie Loren, and more.
May 1: Gideon Freudmann, cello. Freudmann is a cross-genre cellist whose live performances use technology to loop and layer tracks in real time. He has played with Richard Thompson, Patty Larkin, and They Might Be Giants, and released solo albums in a variety of genres.
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By Samantha Sied
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