TheatreWorks’s ‘Simple Gifts’ is heartwarming holiday fare
David Crane, Amy Lizardo, Bryan Munar and Velina Brown perform “Simple Gifts” in the opening sequence of TheatreWorks’ 2020 holiday musical (Photo: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley)
on December 22, 2020
Even 2020 cannot change the arrival of the holiday season. The word “holiday” in English means holy day, or a time in which people pause from work to celebrate religious and other culturally significant occasions. Celebrating holidays amid COVID-19 and all the other socioeconomic upheavals of this year, however, presents a curious paradox. Most holidays involve large indoor gatherings of people from different households and activities such as feasting, dancing and gift exchange. How can people celebrate the holidays when quarantine with its stipulated germ pods, social distancing, masks and travel restrictions leaves no other options than Zoom, the same technology employed for school and work? One compelling ans