After over a year of not performing in front of a live audience, theater students are ready to hit the stage.
The first chance to be on a stage together was in the production of “Our Town” in late September. Everyone was excited to be back after being isolated during the pandemic.
“The students are really looking forward to being able to have the community back with us to have these journeys together, ” said Tooch.
This year, students aren’t required to put on masks and can spend more time with each other without having to divide into smaller groups. Tooch says these changes have allowed camaraderie to become stronger.
For student Madison Leavitt, her biggest challenge last year was projecting. She said she had always struggled with projecting and had to work on it along with wearing a mask.
Leavitt said she was able to improve on her skills and participate in several productions, and she’s excited to be able to perform in front of a live audience.
“This time around, I can finally show what I can do on the stage,” Leavitt said.
Senior Hunter Fields is also looking forward to doing what she loves in front of a live audience, especially after having their shows online last year.
“I am enthusiastic about getting to see all the live reactions from what we perform, ” Fields said.
Even though students are on the stage together, safety is still a concern. Teachers and theatre students are following regulations to stay safe and are still working on facilities clean-up. Theatre director Denise Tooch is hopeful that soon things will go back to the way they were prior to the pandemic.
Seating is also limited at this time. Before COVID-19, theatre was allowed to seat 850 people in the auditorium. Now they will sit half as many. Friends and family will have one seat between them to avoid contact with the virus.
Tooch said that it is important to accommodate the audience for they can enjoy the play and feel secure while watching it.
“I think the audience might want the opportunity to be a little farther apart from other people,” Tooch said.
According to Tooch, theatre was more conscious last year when students were required to wear masks and distance themselves from each other. They wore gloves and sanitized objects before someone else touched them. Marks were placed on the stage as well for the same purpose. Different classes weren’t permitted to gather together. Tooch said theatre is looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunities they have this year.
“After all this time, I am glad that we get to be together and get to share our story with our community,” Tooch said.
