“Disconnect” is no ordinary play, and that is by design. The latest production from UAB’s Department of Theater is a hybrid theatrical experience shaped by and created in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The show is a livestreamed event with short, prerecorded segments. “Disconnect” exists at the intersection of several different stories of people who have been “disconnected” by the pandemic in the vein of works like “Love, Actually” and “Magnolia”.
“It’s really a story about how we have become dependent on social media, through quarantine, through the last year, and how we can grow from this place into beautifully rounded human beings as long as we’re aware of all of our shortcomings,” said production manager Bailey Dumlao.
Lee Shackleford, associate professor in the Department of Theatre and creator of the webseries “Herlock”, is credited as the writer of the play, but it was a collaborative effort that birthed this production.
“Disconnect” emerged from discussions by a group called The Collective. The Collective is a group of fifteen students led by two faculty members who have been responsible for creating this work. The discussions covered a range of topics and saw students creating monologues and other written pieces.
“And then I took all of [of those discussions],” Shackleford said, “And came back with a rough work, that title all those things together into a story.”
Dumlao, junior in theatre performance, said the changes caused by COVID brought a new level of collaboration to this project.
“It’s a lot more collaborative than normal because we wrote the script together, and we edited the script together. We all gave feedback on what video elements we were using and how we were using theme,” Dumlao said. “If anyone wanted to help out at all, it was fair game.”
The limitations caused by the pandemic have dramatically altered the way that this is being performed.
The show has advertised itself as multiplatform with some cast members even making posts on social media in character prior to the show’s premiere.
Doing a show virtually requires a greater flexibility, and changes are made frequently.
For those involved, this has been a brand new experience.
“It has been nothing like I’ve ever done before,” said co-director David Parker, senior in theater performance. “It’s been a very engaging process, very eye opening. It’s just been something that has made us problem solve in new ways and do things that we never would have before in a regular theater setting.”
“Disconnect” runs from November 19th to November 21st. It will be livestreamed at 7:30 p.m. at bit.ly/UAB and facebook.com/disconnectvirtualplay.
The collective includes faculty members Lee Shackleford and Roy Lightner and students Izzy Behr, Abigail Coats, Bailey Dumlao, Matias Dupree, Laurel Floen, Devin Ty Franklin, Briana Hernandez, TaShauna Jenkins, Emma Mansour, Terrell Miller, Mell Packard, David H. Parker, Travis Settoon, McKenna Shaw and Rachel-Marie Strazza.
