51's School of the Arts presents Charles Mee’s “Falling and Loving” to continue the 2020-21 Theatre + Dance academic season. “Falling and Loving” will be available on-demand through now through June 30, 2021.
“Charles Mee’s poetry is the star against the backdrop of COVID-19,” said director Corrie Danieley. “Even though this year seems horrible, there is still much beauty and love to experience, and our actors got to portray that through this project.”
“Falling and Loving” is written in the form of poetry and does not follow a traditional plot, as it resembles a modern art piece. The production consists of a collection of monologues and duet scenes which explore the themes of falling into and out of love. The play depicts the beauty and ugliness of life through various, relatable life situations. There are very sweet moments and very ugly moments in this show.
The 51 cast features Gabby Barbosa, Courtney Blythe, Shelby Flynn, Anna Grace Rose, Ariana Catalano, Mo Cox, Mae Miller, Erin Caudill, Art Patrick, Jason Coffenberry, Raven Hughley, Justin Huddilston, Trey Finkenstead, Chris Monell, Nick Palazzolo, and Thomas Smith. Norse Media and Chris Strobel graciously provided filming and editing support during the production process.
Creating theatre at a university under COVID restrictions brought many challenges and required a production team willing to think outside the box and develop creative solutions in a completely fluid environment. This production's primary goal was to create theatre safely while incorporating new experiences. Actors met for rehearsals one-on-one with the director, rotating rooms every 45 minutes to ensure air circulation, and everyone remained masked at all times. The show was recorded with one actor at a time, in a completely isolated and distanced environment. The entire process was in compliance with the Norse Nine guidelines.
