Wear Your Masque
How student actors pursued their passion for live entertainment through the pandemic.
Story by Victoria Corkum
A t first, everything is dark. Then, all at once, lights radiate onto the stage. Streams of golden warmth shine down, chasing away any shadows that once consumed the space. The roar of applause amplifies the tingly, glowing sensation inside. It seems almost dreamlike as the realization sets in — the show is over.
“I remember my first bow,” Izzy Laws said. “When the lights are bright and you see the spotty lights like on film, I saw that. It was insane, like fresh air all throughout. That’s the moment I knew I needed theater in my life.”
Izzy, a junior at Western Washington University, is a cast member of the web series “Sunny on a Cloudy Day,” a collaborative show conducted by students from WWU and Washington State University.
Written by Mary Ginther and Adam Carlson, the show is a spin-off of the television series “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.” Mary is the only member involved with the project who does not attend WWU. Originally, she began developing the script as a project for her production crew at WSU.
“I wrote six scripts last semester, but we weren’t going to film because of [COVID-19],” Mary said. “I had two assistants, a director, a crew and the only thing missing was the cast.”
When an outbreak of COVID-19 arose on WSU’s campus, the crew decided to cancel filming, closing the door on this passion project. Meanwhile, Mary’s sister, Katie Ginther, who is a WWU theater major, was searching for ways to combat the lack of live performance experiences.
Katie approached Mary with a proposition: combining the talents of both schools could make this dream a reality. Working together, the sister duo ran auditions and selected the cast for “Sunny on a Cloudy Day.”
“It’s weird how [this show] was originally something I was writing in my bedroom and I thought no one would ever see,” Mary said. “Now, it’s being produced online.”
“Sunny on a Cloudy Day” follows five friends in their misadventures after they graduate college.
During their time in school, the group invested in a bar which they later sold and held onto the profits to pursue a future venture. When the lovable, but drastically illiterate, Freddy purchases a condemned doughnut shop using the group’s money, things get weird.
John, the feisty fuel of the group, immediately launches into business mode, hoping to break even despite the immense stupidity of the situation. John’s sister, Jay, offers her sassy input as the group frantically attempts to pull together a plan. The apathetic Hil kicks back and watches the dumpster fire of a mess intensify. To top it all off, Derek, the estranged friend of the group, floats back into the picture once he learns that the group has blown their finances in a risky business move. Whether they like it or not, all five friends are shareholders of a doughnut shop: The Whole Hole.
“It’s like a deep, throwing your head back, belly laugh,” Katie Dreessen giggles as she reminisces over the energy of the show. “It’s like laughing so hard with your friends at 2 a.m. about the stupidest thing that you typically wouldn’t find funny, but that day it’s the funniest thing in the world.”
Katie is a sophomore at WWU who plays the role of Jay in “Sunny on a Cloudy Day.” As a second-year student, there are many opportunities that Katie knows she has missed due to the pandemic. The ability to bond with classmates and fellow cast members is a precious jewel that resides front and center on the crown of the theater department. Taking part in this show, however, has unearthed similar rubies for participants.
“It’s been so fun growing with this cast,” Katie said. “When somebody picks up what you put down, that’s amazing. It’s so rare over the internet, but with all these people who are so locked in and committed to making this a positive experience, those moments when you get a back and forth feel like an in-person reaction.”
Although much of the cast and crew are currently living near Bellingham, Washington, rehearsals are conducted over the video communication app, Zoom, in order to comply with the Washington state COVID-19 gathering guidelines.
Because so many WWU students utilize Zoom on a daily basis, it is easy to become disengaged from interacting through screens, according to Sophie Kashman, a WWU freshman and cast member.
“Zoom conferences are awkward,” Sophie chuckled, the memories of past virtual encounters gone wrong exposing themselves in her smile. “Everyone is on mute, then you unmute and speak over someone and it’s just weird.”
Zoom creates opportunity for plenty of awkward interactions, but the delightful absurdity of this show whips away the fear of embarrassing encounters.
Sophie portrays the role of the Uber driver in “Sunny on a Cloudy Day.” The unnamed character acts as the peak of a love triangle, caught between her feelings for Derek and the overwhelming obsession Freddy has with her.
As scenarios grow increasingly preposterous each week, the cast grows closer through this collaborative project. Although the majority of the scripts were written in March of last year, the director, Mary, consistently opens space during each rehearsal for actors to share their input. Over the course of each week, the scripts can have multiple iterations, varying from small character choices to full-blown comedy bits.
“It’s such a positive environment that we’re able to go through and be honest about how we feel about the script and our characters,” Sophie said. “[The script] is a group-oriented, work in progress. Everyone’s input really does count.”
In order for any live show to run successfully, the cast should strive to understand one another. In order for any Zoom production to run successfully, the cast should have a basic understanding that this is the time to go big or go home.
“This web series is based on, ‘who can do the most ridiculous thing,’” said Leah Shannon, a WWU sophomore who plays the sassy Hil. “We’re breaking down those barriers and acting dorky, because we all want this show to be good. That has not only allowed us to feel more comfortable, but it has built a really good rapport between us. We all want this to work and be the best it can be, so we’ll do it in the best way possible.”
The challenge of storytelling from behind a screen has pushed this group to find the best possible ways to create engaging connections. Instead of the typical blocking style that most live performances utilize, the cast of “Sunny on a Cloudy Day” has found alternative methods to engage with their separate surroundings. By applying a unique style of interacting with their cameras, the standard spatial awareness that comes with live performance blocking is mimicked with a fresh take.
In episode one, Freddy discovers that Derek hooked up with the Uber driver while they were in college. In an outburst of rage, Freddy tackles Derek and the two begin wrestling. Instead of typical stage blocking, both actors scream and shake their web cameras profusely. Their faces blur on and off screen with brilliant flashes of light, which simulates the two boys beating the living daylights out of each other.
Jesse Gervais is a WWU sophomore who portrays the character Freddy, a goofy business school dropout. According to Jesse, one of the most crucial ingredients in the recipe of the show is a playful mindset.
“We just play,” Jesse said. “As a cast, we have such a good bond with each other. That playful nature of a child-like joy, we can’t experience on a daily basis right now. Being able to share that with people right now is so fun, and it brings me a lot of happiness.”
Although many social interactions are currently made through screens, the cast has broken the barriers of Zoom fatigue by investing time to make intentional connections with one another. Typically, the magic of bonding with the cast and crew would be sprinkled throughout in-person rehearsals. Online hangouts quickly sprouted so a similar bonding power could bloom. It is this type of interpersonal connection that allows the cast to dive deeper into their own characters and produce a fierce energy onstage. This is one of the biggest barriers that actors face with Zoom theater as a medium.
“A big thing I’m noticing over Zoom is that it’s hard to replicate the energy between characters,” Austin Denton said. “It’s a physical, human-to-human thing. It’s what makes the magic of theater, watching somebody and developing a connection with them.”
Austin is a junior at WWU who plays the role of John, a feisty hothead who seems to be on the verge of boiling over at all times. As Austin has developed a deeper connection with John’s character, he has noticed a strange change within the transfer of performance arts from onstage to Zoom. The vitality comes from a different space, diverting from the classic rush of adrenaline that accompanies live stage performance.
“We forget that the stage itself has its own energy,” Austin said. “With this production, we’re adapting to how Zoom works. In order to innovate how we’re going to do this, we have to be able to watch ourselves. Zoom theater is it’s own medium, a temporary medium hopefully.”
The majority of the cast and crew are part of the theater program at WWU, another group that has had to make an incredible switch from quintessential stage performance to Zoom theater. Rather than shy away from the potential death of a project, the theater department has leaned into the new challenge with vigor.
“All of these obstacles to do the work reinforces the value of the work, the hunger for that work,” said Rich Brown, department chair and WWU theater professor. “I’m constantly amazed at what the faculty, staff and students have done in order to continue telling stories.”
As theater students attempt to navigate this new world of online learning and performance, the hurdles are greatly enlarged. This might make some students question if the race is even worth running. Is the role of theater being forced out of our world?
“Our nation is suffering from an empathy crisis,” Brown sighed. “It’s an empathy famine. If you don’t have artists telling stories of empathy, then I think we’re done. We’re not just doing plays, we’re telling stories to generate empathy, understanding and compassion in audience members.”
Acting Studio Chicago argues in favor of theater. The role of theater in society is significant and crucial because it reminds us as human beings that we are not alone. During the pandemic, the battle with loneliness has become increasingly relevant.
According to Clara King, the technical director for “Sunny On A Cloudy Day,” the design of this show is intentionally created to combat the weight of reality.
“People are so down right now,” Clara said. “To make theater that’s a downer is so disappointing, unless it has a lot of intention and meaning behind it. We wanted to create something that makes people laugh and attaches people to those characters.”
The final episode of season one was posted on Feb. 26, 2021, closing the curtain on a project that might not have been if it weren’t for the dedication of a team. According to Aidan Espinosa, a WWU sophomore who portrayed the character Derek, this show is a breath of fresh air during a time that has felt overwhelmingly stale.
“It gives us all a lot of hope that one day we will be able to possibly film episodes together and that we will all be able to get back to the real stage soon,” Aidan said. “It really gives us hope that theater and art can never die, even with a serious pandemic. It might give other people hope that they can do projects like this and that art will continue to carry on as creatively as possible.”
At first, everything is dark. Then, like sunshine breaking through the clouds, beams of light illuminate the stage. The audience rises to their feet to deliver a standing ovation and their cheers are echoed throughout the theater. An internal fire is sparked as the realization sets in — the show is never truly over, not for those who are eternal storytellers.