Chorus meets on stage
Cast of “A Chorus Line” meet for in-person rehearsal for first time this year
After the first in-person rehearsal of the school year comes to a close, seniors Erik Smith and Joseph McGivern, who act as Al and Mike respectively, discuss the weather for the first time in months. “It (the weather) decides it wants to be cold in all of the wrong areas and warm in all of the wrong areas, such as freezing over my windshield only,” Smith said. They left rehearsal ready to come back the next day.
For the first time in the 2020-21 school year, drama club members stay behind when the last bell of the school day rings; instead of rushing to their vehicles like the rest of their classmates, they make their way to the Performing Arts Center (PAC) with smiles and pounding hearts.
“[The first in-person rehearsal] was really weird. I was nervous, but I feel like after a little bit, we all got back into the groove of it, like, ‘Oh, this is familiar,’” senior Mia Mehalko said. “Then it was easier because you see how other people are doing it and interacting with your character and others [was] fun.”
Previously, theatre teacher and director Eric Wells decided to put together a completely virtual fall play, but with the approval to start in-person rehearsals for “A Chorus Line” on Feb. 22, hope kindles in the drama club for a semi-normal performance.
“I was ecstatic [when we were given approval]. I was so happy. It made me feel rejuvenated and so excited for my students to be able to be in the place where they love to be and to be up on that stage again—to practice and rehearse. It’s just like athletes who were so excited to be back in the gym; this is our domain. This is our arena where we perform and show our talent so everybody was so excited for it,” Wells said.
Although excitement reigns from gaining permission from the board office, restrictions dampen the mood. Required restrictions include: pre-screenings, temperature checks, social distancing, no sharing anything, no singing or playing instruments unless able to vacate the area for 30 minutes and all the recommended Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines.
“I think [the show will be] affected immensely [by the in-person aspect]. First off, in general, it’ll just be better, more continuity being with people,” Wells said. “I also think that it’ll help the mentality and the social interaction of my students and my actors, to be able to be more connected with each other and to feel more of that vibe to be back in here again. It means a lot to them. So I think the energy level will be higher and I think you’ll see more comfortability and more vulnerability for my actors because they feel more comfortable being in here.”
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