Pandemic Productions at Hofstra University

Everyone has their pandemic stories. When the world realized the seriousness of COVID-19 and what it would mean for communities across college campuses, Hofstra was one of the first universities in the US to move to remote learning. While the shift to digital classes would be a challenge for all students, few disciplines would be hit as hard as those with an element of live performance. 

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When the Drama and Dance faculty and staff met to decide our next steps forward in the Fall of 2020, we were posed with the question of how would we continue to give our production and performance students the opportunities they came to us for? I'm proud to have stepped up and offered to lead the charge into Digital Productions at Hofstra. 

By working with freeware such as OBS (Open Broadcasting Software) and Twitch (a free live streaming platform), we were able to generate live theatrical productions that occurred in real time to live audiences. Due to the nature of Twitch, our audiences were not limited to our student base, their friends, and their families. We were able to perform for audiences around the world.

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While this format wasn't without its challenges and limitations (don't try to sing on zoom...), the venture proved successful in not only giving our performers a vehicle to showcase their work, but also to provide opportunities for our Production students to challenge the medium and work in new territory.

 

I'm proud to say that every discipline that Hofstra D&D supports found itself contributing to our live productions during this time where many schools and colleges were resorting to recorded performances. 

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Below is PHAEDRA, one of our full length royalty free productions for you to view at your pleasure.