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WNS: COVID-19 reshapes annual fundraiser

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In lieu of the usual 12-hour mass gathering, Wake ‘N Shake has instead created an entire week’s worth of fun virtual and socially distanced in-person events in which students can participate.

This year’s theme is “Togetherness,” promoting the idea that even though students cannot physically gather together as per usual, they can still unite in the fight against cancer together. Each day of the week focuses on an action that the campus community can do together. The daily themes, respectively, are “Dance Together,” “Stand Together,” “Ask Together,” “Laugh Together,” “Remember Together” and “Share Together.”

To compensate for the inability to attend Wake ‘N Shake normally, and in an effort to promote student engagement, this year’s event is highly interactive. By attending any virtual or in-person event, students can earn points, and the student with the most points by the end of the week will be able to attend the final ceremony. The ceremony will be held in person on Saturday, March 27 on Manchester Plaza. The activities that award points include a TikTok dance challenge, a 1.6 mile walk, a scavenger hunt and a luminary walk, among others. In addition, all participants will also receive a t-shirt and dinner.

“This week-long competition with an in-person reward does a great job of fostering connection, and it has already made us feel more connected than we usually do in this screens-only world,” said student director Lucy McLeod.

It was also of great importance to the Wake ‘N Shake team that all students on campus feel comfortable to participate in the event. Even though campus is in Yellow operating status, it was important to the team to still include virtual events for those who did not feel comfortable attending in person.

“Aside from our points system, we have worked hard to make sure the vision of Wake ‘N Shake is communicated to everyone succinctly and clearly,” McLeod said. “We want everyone to be informed, and we have also planned a combination of completely virtual and fully in person events so that individuals with varying comfort levels and circumstances are still able to participate.”

Another unique aspect of Wake ‘N Shake is the involvement of “Champions.” Champions are individuals who have fought or are continuing to fight cancer. Each year, eight Champions are invited to attend Wake ‘N Shake and share their stories with dancers. This year, videos of Champions telling their cancer stories will be posted on Wake ‘N Shake’s Instagram.

A large scale event like Wake ‘N Shake does not just happen on its own. It takes the hard work and diligence of a team. Led by student directors and seniors Lucy Mcleod, Emma Ecklin and Paige Gallagher, the executive board has been meeting on Zoom weekly since September to bring this event to life. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly posed a challenge regarding planning because of the uncertainty of case numbers and a rotating color wheel of campus operating statuses, but through it all, the team has worked tirelessly to ensure this year’s events run smoothly.

“COVID-19 and case counts are unpredictable,” McLeod said. “So we made sure to plan and adapt for the worst-case scenario but hope for the best-case scenario.”

Despite the challenges, Wake ‘N Shake is still striving to raise money for cancer research and is determined to find new and innovative ways to bring the Wake Forest community together in support of a common cause.

Photo Courtesy of Wake Forest University

Usually, Wake ‘N Shake is a 12-hour dance-a-thon, but the event’s planers reimagined the event into a week-long fundraiser due to COVID-19.

The show must go on in Winston-Salem

Theatre in the community is primed for a comeback after the state loosened restrictions

BY JACKIE THACHER

Contributing Writer thacjd20@wfu.edu

Last weekend, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts 2021 season opened at the Stevens Center with a production of their Winter Opera. The lights came up on singers dressed in 18th-century costumes on an intricately designed set in an otherwise empty theater. The audience watched the performance at home over UNCSA On Demand.

Even though seats are empty, the Stevens Center stage is not. Many in Winston-Salem will recall The Nutcracker released for free to the public in video format this past December. In February of this year, the Winston-Salem Symphony streamed and recorded their “Valentines Mixtape” concert, one of many projects being put on, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.

With the pandemic still looming, keeping the performers and technicians safe during these performances is a major concern of Wiley Hausam, the managing director of performance facilities at UNCSA.

“It is a constantly moving target,” Husam said. “We have protocols for all of our performances, no matter who is in the space. Ideally, we want to keep everyone socially distanced, and everyone must wear a mask, even if they have been vaccinated.”

The UNCSA protocols for their spaces are rigorous, especially for the students. Each and every student working in the Stevens Center, or anywhere else for that matter, must fill out a coronavirus survey and record whether they have been experiencing any symptoms recently. Then they are temperature checked upon entering the space and remain masked and socially distanced throughout the rehearsal. Another caveat: absolutely no mingling.

“We can’t take risks because our singers are unmasked for the streaming service,” says Omar Sosa, the production assistant for this year’s UNCSA Winter Opera. “So, every single part of the production has a specific time slot to work on whatever thing they have before our performers come onto the stage. Absolutely nobody is allowed in that space.”

UNCSA also teamed up with The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County back in October and November of 2020. UNCSA rented two spaces downtown including the Hanesbrands Theater and the Reynolds Place Theater for three performances.

“Down in the Face of God” was released on Mar. 8 and “Sweat” was released on Mar. 12. Both of the shows were shown via streaming format. The third performance, “An Afternoon at the Opera,” will be live-streamed at the Hanesbrands on Mar. 28.

“We do not expect to see any audience in any space until December of 2021,” says Hausam. “Keeping our students and the Winston-Salem community safe is and will continue to be our number one priority.”

As of Feb. 23, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper eased restrictions allowing for venues to operate at a 30% capacity limit that may not exceed 250 people in indoor spaces. Hanesbrands Theater operates through rental space. If there are no shows to put on, it is very difficult for venues like Hanesbrands and Reynolda Place to continue running without community support.

“Based on social distancing and everything, our number went from 25 audience members to 50 or 60 audience members,” says John Horsman, the theater manager for the Arts Council.

For local theater, that is no small win. Many of the smaller companies in Winston-Salem rely on ticket sales to fund their performances. If the sales are too low, theater troupes are better off foregoing putting on a show.

“We are bringing inx around 10% of what we would have earned by now at this point of the year,” Horsman said.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been countless cancellations by theaters that typically use the space. For instance, the RiverRun International Film Festival has had to cancel its programming two years in a row. The Little Theater of Winston-Salem canceled all four of their productions last year as well as this year. The Winston-Salem Festival Ballet canceled their production of “Dracula” last year, too.

The Hanesbrands has managed to find space for other events to fill the gaps. Small socially distanced summer camps run in the space by Spring Theater helped make up for lost revenu through the summer months and a blood drive occupied the space this past February.

From Mar. 3-11, the building will play host to the Spring Arts Extravaganza, where students K-12 will be able to display their artwork, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and mixed media.

Because of the pandemic, the theater has had to reimagine what these kinds of recurring events look like under circumstances previously thought inimical to the showcasing of art and live performance.

“If the pandemic has taught us anything it’s how to problem solve,” Hosman said. “The issue of crowd control with this particular event is now being handled with a time-slot set up that keeps crowds down while allowing people to better enjoy the art.”