DePauw theater presents ‘Zoom Doom’ this Friday

The 2020-21 season for the DePauw University Theater Department continues this week with the program “Zoom Doom: Three Short Disaster Plays by Student Writers” directed by Steve Timm.

The short plays featured in this show were specifically written to be performed virtually, making for a creative production that captures the zeitgeist of COVID-19.

“The Trial of Minnie Baker,” written by senior Sophia Goettke, revolves around a YouTube host who has unexpectedly found herself in the middle of a CIA investigation. “The Weatherman” by junior Allison Duranceau tells the story of a weather report gone horribly awry. Finally, “The Date” by senior Cami Henry takes an in-depth look at online dating during the pandemic.

Timm is no stranger to the world of digital storytelling, having spent the past few decades working on film sets. He has been directing student-written plays for many years.

“The challenges for student actors increases with the additional online mediation,” Timm said. “They can’t rely on the usual tools: Proxemics, eye contact, volume and movement.

“These short plays, as in previous years, originated from an assignment in my writing class,” he added. “The students wrote the short plays knowing they could only be performed as a Zoom call. That kind of creative limitation creates parameters for the writers to fully explore an idea, and actually frees the writer’s imagination rather than restricting them.”

“Zoom Doom” premiers Friday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. on the DePauw School of Music’s YouTube page. The performance will be available to stream online at the same location after the premiere.