'CU Presents' Announces Fall Season Packed With Virtual Performances

CU Presents will have a semester full of virtual performances from the University of Colorado Boulder's performing arts programs, the organization announced this week.

The Department of Theatre & Dance will record "She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms" by Qui Nguyen and release the performance as a ticketed virtual event. In the wake of shutdowns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, playwright Nguyen adapted the popular comedy about fantasy role-playing games to be performed specifically using conference software such as Zoom.

Over the course of the fall season, the department's dance cohort will produce two ticketed virtual events-the Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema and [un]WRAP: (un)doing and (re)making-as well as FRESH, a pay-what-you-can video production. Featuring an eclectic mix of hip-hop, aerial and fusion forms, these events and accompanying community symposiums will explore a variety of themes, including the ways dance is both surviving and evolving in light of recent national and international events.

On the heels of its virtual presentation of "The Marriage of Figaro," the Eklund Opera Program at the CU College of Music will produce Engelbert Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel," in time for a pay-what-you-can holiday release. Additionally, the College of Music will livestream many of its free semester events, including the popular weekly series Faculty Tuesdays.

The Holiday Festival, CU's annual all-ages December celebration, will be pre-produced and delivered to audiences online this season for the first time as a ticketed virtual event.

The Artist Series' schedule of performances by renowned visiting guests at Macky Auditorium has been canceled through January. Executive Director Joan McLean Braun hopes to reschedule most of those performances in the 2021-22 season.

"Performing arts faculty and staff have worked diligently since March to design a season that fosters a world-class educational experience for our students while still placing everyone's safety front and center as the community continues to fight COVID-19. We're honored to bring these virtual productions to audiences in the safety of their own homes. We look forward to gathering for live performances as soon as it is safe to do so," said McLean Braun.

This semester, rehearsals will take place with strict safety precautions, including physical distancing, required face coverings, and frequent breaks to allow for rehearsal room air circulation.

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