UW Whitewater Theatre/Dance Department

Well, it’s been an interesting Spring and Summer, and while there’s been a lot of activity, not a lot of department production activity to post about. The final show of the Spring, “Miss Lulu Bett’ was canceled when campus closed, but the design/tech students working on projects kept working on them and presented them in May as part of a showcase Webex production meeting. Those actors who were playing roles as part of senior capstone projects presented monologues and scenes, also on online.

Our Summerround season was cancelled, and during the summer as the campus and UW System debated on courses of action for the Fall, our department decided that we didn’t feel there was any way to rehearse our students safely, even though protocols had been created for audience seating, and Bruce Cohen, one of our directors, has been talking to the City of Whitewater about using their new outdoor venue. It looks like we will attempt some sort of digital offering for our two Fall shows, “Vanity Fair,” and “The Minsanthrope.” One of the Spring shows may move the outdoor space. Conversations are still taking place on how to proceed with Dancescapes. The Music department doesn’t feel it’s safe to do a musical/opera for the Spring (and I agree), so it looks like we’ll be looking for something non-musical and digital-friendly to fill that slot, and hopefully returning with “Pirates of Penzance” in the Spring of 2022.

In the meantime, Facilities has finally turned over the renovated prop and costume collection storage spaces and my personal goal is to get all the props moved back in before the students arrive on campus. . . .