With COVID-19 restrictions in place, the entertainment industry is adapting to new ways to connect with its audiences. Villages’ residents and local artists are making the best use of their time at home and away from center stage.
Bands and musicians are taking their performances virtual onto social media sites.
As entertainment and social gatherings are now limited, locals entertainers are stepping out to driveways to hold concerts in a safe and organized manner.
Donna Francis thought of introducing it in her Village after seeing other people host driveway shows. After explaining the plans to neighbors, Francis sent out fliers in the vicinity to invite people to a driveway concert where she performed with her husband.
“People sat on their lawns, and a few people driving by in golf carts stopped to listen,” she said.
“We’re social people who can’t socialize, so we’re trying to find ways to socialize that are safe,” said the Village of Charlotte resident. “This way we can still blast our music to a small area and people can dance or sit 6 feet apart on their lawns.”
Another local entertainer, Billie Thatcher, also put on a show in her driveway in the Village of Springdale with her friend Kevin O’Connell, of the Village De La Vista.
Thatcher said. “So far, it’s been a great joy. We take requests if we know them. We tell people we’ll try anything if we can think we can do a good job of it.”
After The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol was closed due to the COVID-19 crisis, artistic director Whitney Morse and her team started working on ideas to stay connected with the venue’s audience.
With artists now shifting to social media platforms, they even livestreamed table readings of plays. The first livestream, a reading of George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion,” took place in April 2020. After a series of livestreams, they resumed live performances but in a bigger studio for safety reasons.
The theater’s first season 5 show, “9 to 5 the Musical,” was performed at The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center, on Jan 29.
The Villages Theater Company took their shows online with a premiere of “Curve Appeal in The Villages,” on YouTube in October. The club also streamed “Get a Job!” and “My Favorite Husband” on their YouTube page later in 2020.
Facebook Live is turning out to be a boon for the Beatlemaniacs club. They stream performances from member Bob Shea’s driveway show every Friday in the Village of Lynnhaven.
While neighbors enjoy the shows from their lawns, hundreds of viewers tune in on Facebook.
“We had 229 people tune in last week.” Fraser, of the Village of Silver Lake, said at the time. “There were even people from Liverpool, England. They ask questions and request songs.”
The Villages is a community built on greenery, scenic trails and wildlife habitats, and it has enhanced Florida’s natural beauty.
Villagers not only enjoyed the performances but also the natural beauty of their own backyards and gardens. People are motivated to for other stay-at-home hobbies like gardening and tree-planting.
– Attributed Source, The Villages Daily Sun
