An Empty Theater

Every year for the last 20 years, our community has planned, practiced, and performed a tribute to Broadway in a production called "Best of Broadway". We have a cast of over 100 local community members that sing and dance to 20 or so different Broadway songs. Our rehearsals are in an old Veterans Memorial building that comes to life during January to March with our songs, lights, and energy. The chants in the hall echos against the old walls, the stomping of feet on the stage threatens those downstairs, and the beat of the music pumps your heart. When one is in the hall, they are guaranteed to hear laughter in the back corner, a director shouting at the sound guy, and a piercing squeal in the speakers. The sounds in the hall define the busy enthusiasm of the cast and crew. However, this year, our production was shut down the day before our opening night due to Covid-19. The heartbreak of working for months on a show that was cancelled was devastating. After our annual production, we always have a day to clean and put our props and costumes away and clean the hall. But, this year, we just...left. The hall remains filled with our Broadway stuff. And when someone walks into the building, the silence of a show that was never performed is deafening.

My video of our chant during a cast meeting in our theater.

October 14, 2020

Carla Dollar

Carla Dollar

HST643

Arizona State University

video

English Art & Design

English Public Art

English Entertainment: Movies, Theater, etc.

English Social Distance

English Business & Industry

English Emotion

English Community & Community Organizations

Broadway

sensory history

sound

devastation

performance

broadway

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Susanville

deafening

sound

canceled

devastating

English Performing Arts

10/14/2020

10/16/2020

03/05/2021