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NOW SHOWING: “THE LITTLE MERMAID” It’s that time of year again: Show Time!
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his school year may be different but one thing is the same, the plays and musicals put on by the theater department. Each year, the performing arts department combines forces to create the school musical. Like other groups, activities, and sports, the obstacles to doing what they loved presented by COVID-19 were daunting. Due to mask-wearing and social distancing imposed by COVID-19, unique accommodations had to be made. The production chosen this year is “The Little Mermaid,” a fun and inspiring Disney performance. Theater director, Reed Uthe, is in charge of the musical. Formerly in command of the speech and drama department at Lakewood Middle School, his first musical as a high school director is different from expected “In high school, everything’s offered at a higher caliber. The acting and the singing. There’s a lot of technical aspects to it,” Uthe said. Uthe had to look for solutions
to overcome the challenges while still delivering a story through the musical. His idea? Lip-syncing. “Why not just record all of the audio, and then stage it with dance and movement and blocking and everything,” Uthe said. “So that’s what our plan is because that way, we won’t have to wear the super big surgical masks. If you’re actually singing this way since nobody’s technically singing out loud, there are no aerosols going out.” This creative solution allows actors to move around on stage without having to worry about mitigation of COVID-19. A safer environment is established for the performers and the audience. However, this new way of performing creates challenges for the actors. Another complex aspect of the musical this year is the technological factors that play into the set. The new technology used to enhance the set and play into storytelling posed a unique challenge.
Rachel Park
reporter “My goal is to have digital backdrops instead of the physical ones that come down,” Uthe said. “We can project digital images that are like moving images. We’re running into some technical issues with projection lenses and screens and things but we’re working out on a few things,” This innovative solution, although challenging, allows for more creativity and freedom to play around with the background of each scene. Junior Gracie Hernandez plays the lead role of Ariel. As the lead, she is familiar with what is expected of her and the obstacles the musical presents. With the process struggles this year, she’s relying on her experiences dealing with auditions, masks, and technology. Auditions are one of the biggest aspects of any production. The usual buzz of nerves from students hoping to audition for the role that they want, was not possible.
