Students and staff at Central Elgin Collegiate Institute weren’t about to let COVID-19 restrictions bring the curtain down on their year-end theatrical production. They had to improvise and the resulting presentation of The Drowsy Chaperone is the first-ever virtual musical produced in the TVDSB. Every scene and all of the music had to be pieced together with no interaction between students, as show director Sarah Abbott explains.
Bringing together 18 actors and a dozen or so musicians for a high school theatrical production can be a challenge unto itself. But what if all of those players were not able able to interact whatsoever due to COVID-19 limitations. Musical Director Tim Gordon outlines the limitations.
Gordon says choosing a comedy – a Canadian production at that – proved a wise choice in the midst of a pandemic.
To even attempt the theatrical production Gordon and Abbott had to consult with the school board to develop health and safety protocols.
That included working individually with each student to put together the musical track.
While Abbott went through a similar process with the student actors.
Working with a green screen allowed Abbott some flexibility when working through the scenes.
The production will be available via livestream from May to June 4.
Tickets for the livestream will be on a pay-what-you-can basis, advises Gordon.
Tickets and information available at http://centralelgin.tvdsb.ca
