AUC To Zoom Into Theater Season

By: Dalia Abdelwahab

@Lia_A0617

Associate Professor of Practice at the Department of Arts John Hoey has adapted Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid to a rather novel Zoom production rather than a normal theatre setting due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Hoey came up with this virtual solution when a theater graduating senior couldn’t complete his thesis due to the lockdowns.

“In my home country of the United States, almost everything is cancelled or shut down, and we couldn’t and shouldn’t leave our homes,” Hoey told The Caravan.

This inspired him to tell a story through Zoom.

Hoey explained that The Imaginary Invalid is a comédie-ballet about a hypochondriac who intends to marry his daughter off to a doctor in order to receive free healthcare.

Mechanical Engineering and Theater alumnus Hisham Abdel Razek, who is directing the play, said that choreographing such a production via Zoom is more challenging than choreographing one on a normal stage.

“There are lots of logistics that you never had when going into a regular theatre production that you’ve got on this one – prime example is how to secure internet connection. […] These are all questions that we’re still answering,” he told The Caravan.

English and Comparative Literature and Communication and Media Arts sophomore Heidi Aref, who will be playing the role of Toinette, the hypochondriac’s witty housekeeper, agrees.

“I think it’s a really neat idea and a creative solution to everyone being stuck at home, [but] at the first mention of the idea, I was skeptical as to how it was going to work [in terms of] internet connection and screen coordination,” Aref said.

Actors will be performing from nine different locations simultaneously, and three of the roles will be replaced with puppets handled by the actors who as a result will now have to play two roles simultaneously.

This is not the first time for a play to be performed on Zoom. According to The New Yorker, Richard Nelson’s What Do We Need to Talk About? is a play that takes place entirely via Zoom. The play was viewed more than 47,000 times across 30 countries throughout its four-day run.

Another play set to be performed in this semester’s theater season is Will Eno’s Tragedy: A Tragedy. This play has been described as an apocalyptic play parodying the end of the world as many anticipate it to be.

The play’s script has not been adapted or changed, whether for Zoom or otherwise, and will be performed as is for an online audience. 

“The script was not adapted because it’s a news broadcast, so there’s minimal physical blocking. […] This is just a fortunate coincidence due to the nature of the play,” Sarah El Shazly, AUC alumna and director of Tragedy: A Tragedy told The Caravan.

According to the New York Film Academy’s blog, “blocking” is the process of placing actors on a stage and/or in front of a camera, and positioning them.

El Shazly added that it is yet to be decided whether the play will be performed via Zoom or will be pre-taped for online streaming.

While the cast of The Imaginary Invalid has already been announced, auditions for Tragedy: A Tragedy are set to begin on September 19.

“The most important thing to me when casting is to find a person who has the capability and the mental capacity to process the direction of the play and the character,” El Shazly said.

The Imaginary Invalid is set to be performed on October 22, 24 and 26. Tragedy: A Tragedy is set to be performed in November.

Admission for The Imaginary Invalid will be free of charge, and can be reserved through email.