The Community College of Aurora’s Theatre Department will present a play about climate change in mid-October in the outdoor amphitheater on CCA’s CentreTech campus—the college’s first theater production since early 2020 and first-ever play performed outdoors.
“The Love Theory: A Play About Climate Change and Us” will show at 7 p.m. each day Oct. 15, 16 and 17 in the amphitheater behind CCA’s Fine Arts Building. Food trucks will be on site starting at 6 p.m. each day. The public is invited to these performances and can register beforehand at ccaurora.edu/lovetheory. There is no cost to attend.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the final performances of the college’s spring 2020 production were canceled and the fall 2020 and spring 2021 plays were moved to Zoom.
“I was grateful to be able to move our theater productions to Zoom last year. However, there is nothing quite like the magic of live performance. Working in person with students again has been a delight,” CCA theatre director Stacey D’Angelo said. “We are exploring more of the physical and emotional world of the play than we could achieve via Zoom. In Zoom, the actors had gotten accustomed to looking into the green light of their computer camera and now they can glimpse into the eyes of the actor next to them and feel the connection.”
This is the second time CCA has presented “Love Theory,” which is a collaboration between CCA Literature and Theatre students. The play, centered around climate change, features the work of many CCA student essays woven together by former CCA theater student Aisha Spencer. In the spring, CCA students performed the play via Zoom as one of three virtual productions that semester.
“We decided to remount ‘The Love Theory’ in person so we could explore the differences between performing theater on camera through Zoom and doing it in person in front of a live audience,” D’Angelo said. “When we were in the Zoom format, we always performed live and knew the audience was out there—we just couldn’t see them or feel their presence. A live audience is what makes theater so magical.”
The Theatre Department performed six different shows in the past year via Zoom and grew more savvy with the technology and performing virtually. However, it was time to return to in-person performances, D’Angelo said.
“I feel like we did all we could with Zoom, so we were thrilled to be able to take what we learned and move the show outdoors,” D’Angelo said. “This play, in particular, is about climate change, and what a powerful way to experience it—outdoors, under the vast night sky. We are blending technology with live performance for a unique experience like we’ve never explored.”
In the event of rain or snow, CCA’s Theatre Department will notify the registered audience if a performance needs to be modified, canceled or postponed.