WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.: The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) has announced its 2020-21 season, featuring digital productions, an audio play, and a site-specific work.
“Like professional artists around the world, our students and faculty are pioneering what it means to perform in the new landscape created by the pandemic,” said chancellor Brian Cole in a statement. “We are creating new ways to reach audiences with stories that examine our understanding of the past and illuminate our way forward. As Orson Welles said, ‘The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.’ As a community of artists operating in a unique creative ecosystem, UNCSA is proving that the performing arts can thrive, even in this time of great limitations.”
Among the theatre offerings will be The Windows Project (Oct. 28-31), a site-specific work devised by students from the schools of Design & Production and Drama about isolation, privacy, and mental health in a pressurized climate. The live show will be presented outdoors with safety precautions. Andy Paris will direct.
UNCSA’s Fletcher Opera Institute will present An Evening at the Opera (Nov. 9, a performance of opera scenes by Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Gounod, Massenet, Mozart, and Strauss. Steven LaCosse will direct, James Allbritten will provide music direction, and music preparation will be by Angela Vanstory Ward.
Next will be an audio production of Shakespeare’s Henry V (Nov. 12), about England’s victory over France at the Battle of Agincourt. Students in the School of Drama will collaborate with students in the School of Design & Production, and the audio play will be recorded on campus in accordance to safety protocols. Sarah Becker will direct.
Just in time for the holidays will be The Nutcracker (Dec. 17-25), a collaboration between the schools of Dance, Design & Production, Filmmaking, and Music. The 30-minute screen adaption of the holiday classic will feature choreography by Ilya Kozadayev and narration by Rosemary Harris. Karin Hendrickson will serve as guest conductor and Jared Redick will direct. The production will open with a virtual gala on Dec. 12 to raise funds for student scholarships.
In addition, UNCSA will present a concert series, films, and dance programs. The full performance calendar can be found here.
