Photo courtesy of Skylight Music Theatre
Michael Unger, Artistic Director of Skylight Music Theatre
We now live in “virtual time”—and times. And for theater companies whose performances have either been cancelled or postponed, connecting online is a lifeline between theater and patron. Skylight Music Theatre is starting up its first ever live video chat with “Skylight Social,” kicking off at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 28. Skylight’s Artistic Director Michael Unger is leading the discussion and his first guest is former Artistic Director Ray Jivoff.
“We also wanted a way to celebrate and connect with Skylight’s past, present and future during this landmark, 60th anniversary year, “says Unger. “To kick off the first live online interview in a fun way, we thought our audience would enjoy a chat between the current and former artistic directors.”
Photo courtesy of Skylight Music Theatre
Ray Jivoff
Participants can either submit a question before Tuesday’s live chat or during the live Q&A. To date, the most frequently asked questions posed to SMT include:
- How have you been staying creative while isolating?
- What is one project you are really looking forward to working on once quarantine is over?
- How do you think the arts might be permanently affected by this pandemic moving forward?”
One area affected in particular by the shutdown is Skylight’s annual fundraising event. “Skylight Sings: A Virtual Concert,” will take place 7 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at 7 p.m. to benefit the company. The fundraiser is virtual, with online performances from veteran performers along with a few surprises, according to Unger, who’ll direct the event.
One guest of particular note is Dennis DeYoung, lead singer and songwriter for rock group, Styx. In its upcoming 2020-2021 season, Skylight will perform DeYoung’s musical adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, based on the novel by Victor Hugo (Hugo also wrote Les Miserables, which became a blockbuster stage musical).
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Yet, in dealing with the move from onstage to virtual “stage,” Unger points out that “To mix two clichés, necessity is the mother of invention—and when one door closes another opens. We, as artists, are unable to stop creating”
To keep that creative flow going, the live chats will continue once the lights come back up in the Cabot Theater. “There is an abundance of exciting innovation going on. But we all ache to return to our stages, concert halls, museums, and other places where artists, audiences, and culture intersect,” Unger says. “The Internet seems to be the most prevalent crossroads of late. But we are all preparing for that time when the shows that must go on, indeed are able to go on; when all is safe and sound.”
To participate and submit a question for the Live Chat, and to learn more information, please visit: www.skylightmusictheatre.org
