When its production of the musical “Violet” was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cast and crew members from the Department of Performing Arts carried on with the show’s opening number in a newly released YouTube video.
Theater curtains around the world were lowered indefinitely due to the spread of COVID-19, which meant months and years of work was put on hold to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The cancellations included the Department of Performing Arts’ April 23-27 production of the musical “Violet,” the story of a scarred woman who embarks on a cross-country bus trip to be healed by a minister, discovering the true meaning of beauty along the way.
“Violet is my absolute dream role, so I was pretty crushed when we found out we wouldn’t be able to put on the full performance,” said Noelle Cornelius ’20, who played the production’s title character. “It felt really weird to end the show without any form of closure, so I came up with the idea to get the whole cast together and create something short from the show.”
With permission from licensing agency MTI, which has allowed schools and amateur groups to produce a single number from performances cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cornelius and the cast of “Violet” put on a virtual show of their own.
On Monday, the group released a virtual performance of the production’s opening number, “On My Way,” in a YouTube video.
Elon’s production of “Violet” was directed by Paula Kalustian, adjunct assistant professor of performing arts, with music direction by Valerie Maze, lecturer in performing arts and music theatre music director/conduct.
Cornelius worked with Tara Patterson ’20, Katie Paris ’20, Sydney Dye ’21 and the “Violet” cast to create the virtual performance. Dye said preparations for the live “Violet” production began at the start of the 2019-20 academic year, which is why it was so important that the group’s efforts didn’t go to waste.
“The work that had already been put into this show before COVID-19 was absolutely incredible,” Dye said. “Being able to share this video and let people experience a small part of all of the hard work that had been done is incredibly special.”
Even though the group missed the opportunity to perform their entire production live, Cornelius says she was proud to see the video come together and allow the cast and crew to share their work and passion with the world.
“I am so thankful that we still had the opportunity to share what we had been working on and have this closure for our show,” Cornelius said. “The entire cast, crew and production team of ‘Violet’ were all incredible, and I feel lucky to have worked with a group of such passionate, creative, hardworking people.”