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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 G I V I N G G U I D E 2 0 2 0 – 2 0 2 1 GIVING GUIDE Portland Stage Co. found a new form of creativity during the pandemic Hannah Cordes, education director of Portland Stage Co., says that the non- profit — with its in-person art form — no longer had the option of perform- ing the way it always had. "eater as we knew it had to pause," says Cordes. at included the many educational offerings that the organiza- tion offers to children and teens. Portland Stage had scheduled both an April vacation theater camp for children and a Shakespeare program for teens. "Both of those things obviously had to pause as well," Cordes says. "But we pivoted to Zoom and did our first-ever virtual vacation camp, which went amazingly well." How to turn the online offering into something that really engaged young people was at the forefront of the Cordes's mind. e question remained, Could she keep their atten- tion and get them up and moving? e answer was yes. Portland Stage created a week of fun where campers participated in everything from cos- tume challenges to living room plays, a fashion competition, and games around theme, monologues, and other key aspects of theater. "A lot of parents commented how much laughter they heard coming from the campers' rooms," Cordes says of virtual vacation camp. "e ability to do theater with young people during this time is what's kept me going." In addition to the vacation camp, Portland Stage also ran an online camp for teens which covered things like monologues, improv, playwrit- ing and more. Professional actors did dramatic readings of picture books for the younger crowd via Facebook Live events, Cordes noted. "Our big- gest Saturday we had 1,500 views. We were really thrilled with the accessi- bility of it." Following these offerings came an in-person, eight-week summer camp. Social distancing and masks were part of the event, but so was creativity, outside-the-box thinking, and a non- traditional setting: a parking lot. "We've been able to keep it fun, exciting, and engaging during a time that feels devoid of a lot of that," Cordes says. "We're really grateful for our community of supporters, patrons, and families for sticking with us and continuing to support us." Joy Choquette, Mainebiz corespondent, can be reached at editorial @ mainebiz.biz Making a difference. CES would like to thank Good Shepherd Food Bank for stepping up during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are grateful for the opportunity to support them in their Food For All Campaign to Nourish Maine and as they provide much needed resources during this crisis. Sensible Solutions 207.989.4824 www.cesincusa.com CESI NC Engineers Environmental Scientists Surveyors Promote your business webinar online by registering for free at Mainebiz.biz and completing the form at mainebiz.biz/post-an-event. Events will be edited as needed by Mainebiz staff, and then posted online. Need help marketing your webinar? Let us help you reach your target audience! LIST YOUR WEBINAR ON OUR BUSINESS CALENDAR MAINEBIZ.BIZ/POST-AN-EVENT