Long before the pandemic started, higher education institutions have been offering programs to its students online. One would think that the switch to remote learning in 2020 would have been an easy transition for a lot of those schools. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
“I was in panic and thought this was it,” says Tony Doupe, Program Lead for Film and Theater Arts at Shoreline Community College. “I had no idea how we were going to teach acting, filmmaking and theater classes online,” he recalls. Prior to the pandemic, all of Doupe’s classes were conducted in person and revolved around practicing scene work, monologues, having discussions and preparing his students to be on set. During the pandemic, everything has changed.
Doupe and his colleagues were well aware that recreating the energy generated by acting in class remotely would be a challenge—if not impossible. However, what they didn’t realize—at least not at first—was the potential that virtual classrooms could have on their teaching. As Doupe explains, “part of an acting class is working on a discomfort that we all feel when we are performing in front of people.” The Zoom environment made acting a little bit safer for many students who were more shy or apprehensive. It allowed them the extra time to practice recording their best performances and to invest in the craft of acting. Although Doupe admits that this does not replace the live performances, he recognizes the value it can bring to pre-recorded performances in film and TV.
In addition to the switch to a virtual classroom, Doupe also adopted a more theory based approach to his teaching. He encouraged his students to watch plays online and analyze other actors’ performances. He assigned readings and writing critical reviews so that his students could break down techniques that worked well and observe different acting styles. “Prior to the pandemic, I never saw the importance of it or thought that teaching acting could be more academic,” says Doupe. A lot of students taking Doupe’s classes do not want to be performers in the future and learning about film and theater history was just as fascinating—if not more—as acting itself to them. “They really blossomed with this teaching model.”
What’s more, with no commuting required last year, and all the instruction conveniently provided at home, many students traveling from further away found the extra time comforting. “What we are learning is that a hybrid model can work well and make education more accessible to a lot of our students,” says Doupe. “Although we look forward to teaching face-to-face in the fall, we no longer take it for granted.”
Doupe acknowledges that if there wasn’t a community college system, he wouldn’t be here today. “Community college saved me because, as someone who didn’t have the best grades in high school and who relied on athletics to get me through, I was still able to go to school and get good education.” He describes Shoreline Community College as an “open place of learning that welcomes everybody.’” “I just love that environment of having so many different styles of students who are making a choice to study here.”
Doupe’s belief that everybody has something special inside of them to offer has guided him throughout his 24-year-long teaching career. “Every student learns differently, especially in the arts, so I have to introduce as many ways as possible to help them find the best way that works for them,” he says. If there is anything that is getting in the way of their creative expression, he strives to help his students identify those insecurities and develop ways to manage them.
There is no doubt that the pandemic had created a deep void in our lives. The inability to enjoy live performances has been challenging for many artists and audiences alike. As Doupe says, “I’ve always said that an opportunity to perform in front of an audience is a gift. Now that we know it really is a gift, I believe that the work is going to get even better when we are able to do it in person again.” We truly hope that we can all enjoy the benefits of creative arts in our lives very soo
Tony Doupe is an actor and producer, known for his supporting roles in Wild (2014) starring Reese Witherspoon, Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) starring Kirsten Bell, Life or Something like It (2002) starring Angelina Jolie, among many others. He received his MFA from California Institute of the Arts.
This story was published in April 2021 issue of Richmond Beach Community News