This year’s COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it many negative side effects. Many small businesses all around the world have lost their jobs and steady sources of income, leaving much of the population destitute. Perhaps one of the businesses affected most by the pandemic is that of live performances, whether they be Broadway musicals, concerts, or theatrical productions. Theatrical productions have been most affected locally. However, RCHS Senior Abigail Lynch is currently helping to bring a new theatrical production experience to fruition.

“Mrs. Hodde invited me to work with her in the club just before quarantine hit in March,” said Lynch. “We didn’t start official work until about August, and the actual rehearsals started in September.”

“It’s been interesting working on a virtual production this year. We’ve had to completely restructure our normal rehearsals to fit the online format, and we’re constantly finding new ways to best teach the students. A lot of the regular theater activities and production aspects don’t translate to Zoom well, such as physical games, costumes, and sets, but we’ve come up with lots of alternatives to bring the same production quality to the virtual world.” said Lynch. “The kids have been wonderful through this whole thing– they’re always ready to help when Mrs. Hodde or I get stuck with the new technology, and they are eager to work on anything we throw at them. It’s been awesome getting to see their talent grow over these last few months, and I hope to work with them in person in the new semester,

This is a common problem many of those in any performance arts have been dealing with— difficulties of the transition to virtual learning.

“Our winter production is actually not one single piece- it’s a collection of short scenes from a variety of courses and authors. They range from confrontations between a police detective and his commander (I wrote this one) to a man who steals cinnamon buns from a high end restaurant to the dismay of the uptight waiter.” said Lynch. “Some, such as one story about how a school principal’s morning announcements escalate due to COVID-19, were even written by the students. We chose this format because it allowed for us to be more flexible with casting. We can make sure everyone has the same amount of screentime and more opportunities to play different roles,¨ 

Not only has the theatre club chosen to start working on a production, but they are putting in the extra work of creating some of their own scenes.

“The production, which will be a virtual recording of the actors featuring podcast-like audio and some video, will most likely premier on YouTube in early February,¨ said Lynch.