While social distancing is a viable option for many classes, interaction is an integral part of most theater courses.

Both Youngstown State University and Kent State University at Trumbull theater classes made changes this semester in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but only YSU will present productions available to the public, albeit only online.

Stephanie Smith, acting co-director of YSU’s school of performing arts, said they’d already decided to open the 2020-21 theater season with Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” before the coronavirus forced in-person classes to stop last March.

“‘Glass Menagerie’ was cast remotely,” she said. “Students submitted recordings for their auditions, and it was cast in May … They’ve been rehearsing remotely using WebeX and doing some isolated rehearsals in Spotlight Theater, using appropriate social distancing. We custom build some plexiglass barriers to make sure everybody is comfortable.

“There are issues of safety and issues of comfort. We want to make sure students know their safety is of the utmost concern, but we’re also worried about their comfort.”

The drama, directed by Matthew Mazuroski, will premiere Sept. 25. Instead of being available on demand, viewers will need to purchase a ticket to watch at a specific time — 7:30 p.m. Friday or 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 4. Tickets are available at www.showtix4u.com/events/Youngstown StateUniversity.

“We’re trying to retain some of the theatergoing experience,” Smith said.

YSU did replace “Godspell,” its planned fall musical, with “Elegies,” a song cycle written by Tony winner William Finn (“Falsettos”) that was inspired by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. Smith said they didn’t want to compromise their original staging plans for “Godspell,” and “Elegies” fit thematically with what many have experienced during the pandemic.

“There are songs about the loss of a parent, the loss of a beloved teacher,” Smith said. “This is a really interesting theme to explore at this time.”

“Elegies,” directed by Maria Fenty Denison with music direction by Amanda Beagle, will open Nov. 13 and be presented in the same format over two weekends as “The Glass Menagerie.” Also planned for the fall semester is the cabaret show “Chillin’ in a Winter Wonderland: An Evening of Seasonal Jazz and Pop Tunes,” on Dec. 4, and YSU’s 10th annual Ten-Minute Plays, which features the work of student directors and actors, on Dec. 6.

Both will be available for free via YouTube.

Eric Kildow, director of the theater program at Kent-Trumbull, said its fall productions have been canceled, but students in Champion will have the opportunity to audition for virtual productions on the main campus.

“I had hoped to maybe do some radio plays done by Zoom, but the campus administration decided we’re going to remain dark through fall 2020 due to budgetary concerns,” he said.

Kildow will be teaching theater courses and has found an old-school way to incorporate those face masks into his in-class instruction.

“There is a long tradition of mask work in the theater, wearing what is called a neutral mask to train young actors and acting students to be physically expressive,” Kildow said. “We get so focused on the face. When you put a neutral mask on, you have to look at the whole line of the body. It’s not that far removed from the standard cloth mask. I’ll do more neutral mask work and also focus on what students can do on a solo basis.”

YSU has instituted a long list of protocols to ensure that classrooms are clean and students maintain social distancing, Smith said. Additional precautions have been taken with dance and theater classes, such as acquiring face shields with clear face coverings for all theater majors and all students in certain theater classes.

Smith said, “We are doing our best to give our students, with the best safety and comfort, the experience they came to college to have, and in the acting arena, that’s face to face.”

agray@tribtoday.com