For all the stress and mess this year has brought, there has been one shining moment of internet glory that has illuminated my time in quarantine. It seems that the youths of the web have decided the plague throwback we’re experiencing is inspiration enough to invent a brand new aesthetic: BardCore. That’s right, the medieval times have come back with a vengeance, with the likes of lute covers of “Mine Hips Doth Not Deceive Thee” by Lady Shakira and Apothecary-themed ASMR videos gracing Youtube and TikTok. While being delightfully entertaining, this trend also showcases a strange convolution of time we’re collectively experiencing in which the past seems increasingly relevant, the present is hard to pin-down, and the future is nebulous at best. The Performing Arts Department intends to utilize this with an innovative new season that highlights where we’ve been, where we are and where we might be going.

Curran Neenan | Student Life

The A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre sits empty as a result of the Performing Arts Department’s announcement of a virtual season.

The medieval has certainly influenced many of the ways this season is moving forward, most notably with the introduction of the new PAD Mobile Stage—PADdee Wagon, as it has been dubbed. Designed by Professor Robert Morgan, this mobile stage has been inspired by medieval pageant wagons, which were the go-to way to experience theatre back in the day. According to Performing Arts Department Production Committee Chair Professor Bill Whitaker, “The dream is that come spring—since we know that being outside, in fresh air, safely distancing—maybe we can gain permission to wheel our wagon up and arrive at the bottom of Brookings Hall and socially distance and put on a performance piece. So, if we can’t be inside of our buildings, what if we steal a little something from medieval pageant wagons.”

This historical reference will not only be reflected in the performance structure, but also in the content of the performance itself in the play “The Covid Mysteries,” which is directly inspired by the 14th century York Cycle Plays. This play tells the stories of Creation, Passion and Judgement from Christian tradition that formed the core of theatrical experience in an earlier time, but produced for a contemporary (and only mildly heretical) audience. “We thought, ‘Well we’ve got a pageant wagon, the inspiration for the pageant wagon came from the York Cycle… so the touchstone is the York Cycle Plays, but we’re doing it for the time[s] right now’… so there’s a kind of playful take on the York Cycle Mysteries that we can actually officially launch the pageant wagon using that piece,” said Whitaker.

Curran Neenan | Student Life

The view from the state management booth in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre.

Relevance is key to the PAD this year, as they hope to bring theatre that is specific to the time we’re in both in content and in structure. Many plays slated for production deal with the complex social injustices and systemic problems brought to the attention of many this year, such as the world premiere of “Remember….That Time Before the Last Time” by Ron Himes, which, per the PAD’s website, is “an exploration of the effects of race, social injustice and the traumatic impact of slavery on the creative impulses of a people/artists through spoken word, music and dance from the diaspora.”

The PAD is not just looking to the past and present, however, but they are also attempting to find a footing in this brave new world. For Whitaker, “It has everything to do with being defiant about not giving up and just ‘not doing theatre,’ and finding ways of doing it in spite of a steadfast obstacle and hopefully not only that we are mindful of our times.”

This means the department has primarily incorporated virtual performance methods to properly abide by public safety measures, but that doesn’t mean they’re done innovating or looking forward. Whitaker recognizes that this time, while unique in its challenges, is also unique in its opportunities for student engagement and expression. For example, there will be a virtual platform run through the PAD in which students can bring their own creative visions to life in a more supported capacity through the department. As Whitaker explained, “There are a lot of people doing really cool stuff on YouTube and throwing things up on TikTok, all these things happening, we go, ‘Well wait a minute! Maybe there’s an inspiration here. What if we created within the PAD a platform virtually where students…if they want to do something within the structures of online-ness maybe we can do some productions there that will be vetted and released under the banner of PAD.’”

Clearly, it is difficult to plan for anything in a concrete way this school year. This is why the season has been intentionally designed to be flexible and adaptable for a changing public health situation in both the Wash. U. and greater St. Louis community. “The season wanted to be enduring, it wanted to be a season that was present to what’s going on in our world, and that maybe has some hopes and dreams for dealing with the changing circumstances of the world as we know it… We’re calling it ‘on moving ground’ because these are hopes and dreams, we think they’ll happen but if things change, these may change,” said Whitaker. More information about these performances and others slated for this season is available on the PAD website, which will be updated as dates are set and schedules and formats change.