Theatre NDSU student director, Kolie Shaw, prepares for NDSU’s first virtual performance
As a theatre major at NDSU you gain experiences and opportunties in a variety of roles including visible roles such as perfomer, or behind the scenes, like director. Senior, Kolie Shaw, is directing She Kills Monsters: Virtual Relams, and she gets to be the first director at NDSU to direct the cast virtually. Check out her thoughts from a Q&A about this exciting opportunity:
Q: As the director of the show, what are you most excited about?
A: What I am most excited about for this show is creating a performance that takes space on an online platform. It is difficult for artists to find space to create theatre right now due to our global pandemic, but it is important that theatre makers stil have opportunity to perform and create art.
Q: What are your thoughts on directing NDSU’s first play on Zoom?
A: I am over the moon thankful for the opportunity to direct She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms as NDSU’s first Zoom play. I am learning so much, not only as a director but also around communicating and creating art in our new wordy climate.
Q: What interseting thing should patrons know about the show?
A: I think something that the actors and I have been working hard to achieve is theatricality within the online space, especially since each actor is in their own bedrooms/individual spaces for each performance. We hand props through screens and have battle scenese on an online platform! We still get to play with lights, costumes, and music to create this magical show and I think the fact everyone can view it from the comfort of their own home is even more of a reason to get hyped for this show.
Q: What is your favorite thing about directing this show?
A: My absolute favorite part of this show is all the tiral and error the actor and I get to play with and start to understand. Creating a performance online is completely new and I am so lucky the actors and management team are so willing to test things and adapt as we learn what does and does not work. Everyone working on this production has been faced with challenges, even more-so than what a performance with actors on a stage might face, but this has not and will not stop us.
Q: Why do you like being a student at Theatre NDSU?
A: I like being a student with Theatre NDSU because of the care and energy our professors put into our education. As a young director, I know I have a lot to learn and I am so glad I have the relationship to ask any questions or concerns I have, trusting I will walways be pointed in the right direction. The students in our department are so willing to say YES! and try something new. We are a collective, even when faced with the stress, fear, and disorder this pandemic has brought us. It is often a relief to be surrounded with so many individuals who wnat you to succeed and Theatre NDSU continues to bring me that relief.
Purchase tickets at ndsu.showare.com