Entry 024: Kristi Towey & MST&DA

Date of Entry: February 21st, 2022
Location: Roosevelt Island, NY
Interviewed by: Thom Heyer

Like many organizations, Main Street Theatre & Dance Alliance on Roosevelt Island had to adapt to the new reality and challenges posed by Covid. Below is an exerpt from an email by Assistant Executive Director & Theatre Department Head Kimbirdlee Fadner:

Hello Thom,

I wanted to share 3 videos that were created to show how MSTDA adapted and kept moving through the pandemic. 

Here are 3 video links:

MSTDA Dance Montage (You will see how the "normal" dance recital adapted to a virtual format and then to a live, inperson with masks showcase)

MSTDA Theatre Montage (You will see how we continued to produce theatre and especially the development of new works through the pandemic, safely!)

MSTDA: Make-A-Musical Montage (This highlight the MSTDA theatre camp in which the kids write new musicals with theatre professionals. It is a testament to how we have continued to provide enrichment to the kids of the island, despite the limitations such as restricting class and camp sizes, wearing masks, taking covid tests, etc)

I look forward to talking to you more about this! Thank you for doing such great work!

Sincerely,

Kimbirdlee Fadner

Assistant Executive Director & Theatre Department Head

And below is the trailer and Director’s Note for MSTDA Teen play 2020 , which occurred at the height of the pandemic:

Directors Note:

This was some journey. Back in February, we started rehearsing a live action version of The 39 Steps. Then a month later the world turned upside down. We attempted to rehearse via Zoom. But the teens came to the sad realization that we could not perform a zany mad-cap, physical comedy-laden show via Zoom – without losing much in the translation. So instead, over the summer, we created a “movie trailer” for the show via Zoom with great success! We had hoped this fall we would have been able to mount that show. However, that version requires physical engagement – something that is not possible in this time we are in. So, what to do? These amazing actors had already created some delightful characters. What could we do that would incorporate social distancing AND make sense? Lucky for us we found another retelling of this story: The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play by Joe Landry. A perfect solution! A 1940’s radio studio, elegantly dressed actors standing at their microphones, socially distanced, telling the story with their voices, a few different hats, and some incredible sound effects to indicate the action of the piece.

I want to thank this amazing group of young artists who met this extraordinary challenge with grace and determination. I would be remiss if I did not mention those actors who, because of the challenges caused by the pandemic, were not able to continue with this project: Unai Curutchet-Ziv, Jayla Davis, Maia Dorfmann, Max Ecke, and Loulé Long. Your work added a vital creative layer to this final product.

Thank you to Kristi, Kimbirdlee, and the MSTDA board for doing whatever was humanly possible to make theatre happen in the time of Covid! We are some of the luckiest artists in New York City!