Social distancing and acting, where people can be in close contact or vocally free, might feel like they don’t go together. It’s true that the pandemic has created all kinds of challenges, not just for acting classes but for film and theater productions. Many actors, who generally live job to job anyway, are completely out of work with productions shut down and theaters closed. Some companies have moved to doing plays over zoom and there have been a number of projects where actors and filmmakers have made completely socially distanced movies and web series. But generally these projects are an artistic outlet rather than income generation.
Acting classes as well have had to adjust to the situation. There are lots of classes and workshops that you can find online now which is not a bad solution for a lot of actors, especially ones who are looking to work with a wider range of teachers. There are a lot of casting director workshops online now as well. These can be a great way to keep fit while waiting for production to get going again.
At Prague Playhouse, we are fortunate to be able to resume in person classes. Our Fall Term will start September 14th. If you want to sign up, please fill out the information form. We will follow the latest government recommendations on social distancing and masks. Students must wash their hands and use disinfectant.
In the spring, as the Czech Republic came out if lockdown, we resumed class with a strict mask policy in place. It wasn’t anyone’s preference, but we found that it was possible to have meaningful exercises even while wearing a mask and it didn’t interfere too much.
Productions are slowly starting to return. Let’s hope that the trend continues!