On the opening night of their livestream play, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, TWU acting students Sacha Mugisha and Jennifer Mamchur spoke with CBC's On The Coast about their experience as artists and performers during COVID-19.
Sacha Mugisha is first year BFA Acting major from Kigali, Rwanda, who says that he is “thoroughly enjoying making Langley his new home.” "The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” is Mugisha’s first show at TWU.
“I think COVID has taught us all that nothing can stop us from making great art if we are willing to be creative in the midst of it – not even a global pandemic,” Mugisha said.
He added, “I love this play because all it really does is take an ensemble of really interesting characters, put them in the same place, and watch them wreak havoc together. If that isn’t an accurate representation of humanity, I don’t know what is.”
“We (as humans) are messy, but we’re also hilarious. I hope audiences will be reminded of that and smile when they see the show,” he said.
“Covid has changed a lot about how we go about rehearsals,” said Jennifer Mamchur, a fourth year BFA Acting major at TWU.
"We have to be wearing masks and standing or sitting six feet apart at all times. It dictates how we move on stage, how we talk to one another, because some conversations that might have happened in the dialogue of the play, close together, now have to happen across large distances.”
Speaking on how she feels about performing in a livestream comedy, she expressed, “I am so grateful to be doing theatre, in person—but not getting a laugh (in response) to a joke or something funny will be hard.”
Although acting in the midst of a pandemic is unusual, Mamchur “loves the fact that telling of story is still happening.” She hopes audiences will enjoy this comedic show, and that viewers "will find many reasons to laugh and smile through this hard season of life."
Listen to the full interview on CBC's On the Coast:
TWU on CBC's On the Coast
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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