Guest Opinion | Dr. Edward C. Ortell: Holiday Traditions and Creative Performances: The Show Must Go On

The year was 1606, and in response to the return of the plague in London, Shakespeare’s company of players, the King’s Men, was forced to lock the doors of the famous Globe Theatre.

It was a disheartening and fearful time, and one that is now easier to understand. As it has done for hundreds of years, the effect of quarantine and isolation continues to take a tremendous toll on human morale today.

But the human spirit cannot be constrained. Just as the performers in Shakespeare’s day searched for ways to return to the stage in 1606, the performers, creators and artists of our time search for ways to accept the realities of a global pandemic, while still learning and practicing their crafts.

Thanks to the creative brilliance of faculty, staff, artists, performers, and tech savvy students at local community colleges, the show does go on.

At Citrus College, serving the greater San Gabriel Valley, the Visual and Performing Arts programs have continued instruction throughout 2020 via online instruction. And the results are amazing. Students in some of these programs have been able to showcase their skills through the college’s “Ghostlight Series” on YouTube. Check out a performance of “The Waltz I Blew for You” by the Studio Lab Band, which was created with individual smartphone video/audio recordings made by each of the participants in May and June, all while all under quarantine.

As we approach the holidays, one way to capture the special holiday feeling is to go to the website of a local community college and look at the college’s performing arts calendar.

In December, the students of the Citrus Theatre Arts Department will remotely present Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It’s an adaptation they describe as, “A faithful, yet fun and fast-paced retelling of the Dickens holiday classic.” Also in December, the voices of the world renowned Citrus Singers will become the cast of animated characters in a new holiday show for all ages called, “Don’t Shelve the Elves!” Both online productions will feature pre-show performances of holiday music by the Citrus Singers, recorded during a previous season.

This year, more than ever, it’s important we hold onto our beloved traditions, as we join with others in a shared, if different, holiday experience. As the famed composer Aaron Copland once said, “So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning.”

About the Author:

Dr. Edward C. Ortell is the senior governing board member at Citrus College and a Professor Emeritus at Pasadena City College. He has served on the California Community College Trustees (CCCT) state board of directors and 11 terms as president of the Citrus College Board of Trustees.