MXO ‘The Arts Unplugged’: ZOPP Beck Center For The Arts’ First Virtual Youth Theater Production!

Beck Center For The Arts, Posted October 19th 2020

Beck Center for the Arts announces its first virtual youth theater production, Zopp, as an answer to the challenges of producing live youth theater during a pandemic.

Zopp. A Gwyneth Paltrow beauty product? Name of a mop you can create on your 3D printer? Or Beck Center for the Arts’ fresh and highly entertaining new Youth Theater fall production? Yes! It’s virtually the most fun you can have. Zopp was created around the concept of video conferencing, and due to the pandemic, we are all quite familiar with Zoom, Webex, etc. Now our host narrators and hilarious characters are ready to parody these video conference calls.

Opening October 23 and running through October 25, 2020, with a student matinee on October 22, patrons are invited to enjoy this virtual production in the comfort of their homes. This live production is perfect for all ages.

Written and directed by Russel Stich, Zopp was created especially for the pandemic challenge facing live youth theater. Ideally suited for a virtual production, this theater piece solves the issue of how to keep a cast of young performers, crew, and the audience safe during a pandemic, while delivering great laughs with this fresh new comedy. Beck Center understands the desire for comedic entertainment at this time, and is proud to deliver this witty and humorous experience live and fresh for each performance. 

Mr. Stich, playwright and director, brings to life, virtually, Mother Goose, The Big Bad Wolf, Marco Polo, Florence Nightingale, and scores of other characters. Mr. Stich says this cast of 34 young performers, ages eight to 15, “is working hard and having a great time creating something new, while still being able to perform and use their theatrical skills.”

This limited engagement of Zopp runs October 22 to October 25, 2020 on any device in the comfort of your home, as part of Beck Center’s Youth Theater Season. Zopp tickets will be available starting Friday, October 16, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. EST through beckcenter.org. Tickets are “pay what you can”  with a suggested donation of $20 per household to support youth theater at Beck Center (as well as covering the Zoom fees, ticketing system fees, and credit card fees). Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood. For more information available here.

Programming at Beck Center for the Arts is made possible through the generous support of the Ohio Arts Council. Beck Center gratefully acknowledges the generous funding provided by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional theater productions on two stages, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, creative arts therapies for individuals with disabilities, free gallery exhibits year-round, and outreach education programming.