On Nov. 5, the Vanguard Theatre began their four day run of the play “Doubt, A Parable” by John Patrick Shanley with a livestreamed production broadcast on the UTM Department of Visual and Theatre Arts YouTube channel.
As the performance was closed to the public due to concerns from COVID-19, I had the opportunity to assess the Vanguard’s procedure for a livestreamed production and how that impacted the viewing experience. Sadly, the limitations of the format did prove to be somewhat irritating and did impact my enjoyment of the performance. But first, the good notes.
The play itself was never one of my favorites. Shanley’s play, set in a Catholic middle school in the 1960s, follows a few days of turmoil between the three main characters as the principal of the school, Sister Aloysius, suspects a priest, Father Flynn, is having an inappropriate relationship with the school’s first African American student. Nevertheless, I had never seen it transposed onto the stage, and I think the cast and crew did an excellent job in that regard.
The first note of praise I had was for the costuming. A cassock isn’t a particularly complicated garment, but the costuming of the two nuns I thought was particularly realistic and matched the very well-designed and well-staged set which represented Sister Aloysius’ office. The set design facilitated actor visibility very well while still giving a realistic appearance of an office. That is not to say realism is always best, just that in this instance the set design and costuming achieved the effect very well.
I also thought the acting was believable and well executed. The only actor I had any particular criticism of was the woman portraying the mother of Donald Muller who I could not quite hear most of the time. That allows me to segue into my final point.
I was able to clearly see and hear the performance, but it was a bit of a strain. The theatrical space where the crew were livestreaming from, I suspect, is just not well-suited acoustically to accomodate a comfortable viewing experience for the audience. Even with the sound up to 100 blowing out the speakers of my laptop, I had a hard time on occasion actually picking out words. This was especially pronounced towards the beginning, and as the actors warmed up they seemed to have no problem projecting loud enough to be clearly audible for the sound equipment. Still, there was a lot of background noise, like one would expect from filming in a theatre. It also would have been nice if the video would have been shot from closer, not only for the volume issue but also because I couldn’t really make out any of the actors’ faces from the distance and thus couldn’t pick up facial expressions.
Oh the limitations that Covid has forced on us all, sadly.
Would I recommend tuning in to Vanguard Theatre’s production of “Doubt, A Parable”? Yes, if for no other reason than you can watch it from the comfort of your own home, it costs you nothing, it’s better than whatever you’re bored-watching on YouTube, and it supports the campus arts community. We have a community of talented performers and producers here at UTM and it would be a shame for them to go unappreciated.
Last day to catch the play is Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. No fee is charged to watch, but spectators are encouraged to donate the price of a ticket ($15). To find the performance, just go to the UTM Visual and Theatre Arts Facebook page.
