Sophie: The HMHS drama club’s musicals have always been a highlight of the spring season. Families and friends alike have gathered for years in the auditorium to watch their peers or children share what they have been working on for the past three months. I have been attending the HMHS musicals since Anything Goes in 2015 (I was 9!), and I am consistently impressed with the level of commitment and talent that my fellow students have, time and time again. This year looked a little different because of COVID, and it was unclear if the drama club would be able to put on a show. How would they sing? How would they maintain social distancing? Could they have an audience? I was intrigued to see how the drama club would pull together as a community and deliver their annual musical. 

I was lucky enough to be able to see the show in person, and I was amazed. Because a majority of the cast had to wear masks and shields for most of the show, I was wondering how I would be able to hear and how well their storytelling would come across. While it was more difficult to hear than usual, considering the circumstances, the drama club pulled together to create a showstopper. The plot was deep, including the theme of a mother-daughter dynamic, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The set was beautiful, and I know the cast and crew spent hours creating these pieces. The songs were catchy and engaging, and the strippers were very comical, but there were tender moments between characters that balanced these out. Overall, I truly enjoyed myself. The drama club’s talent and dedication shined bright through their masks. Even a pandemic could not stop them from doing what they love. 

Lili: This was my first year doing cast, as I had previously only done wardrobe crew, so the entire experience was new to me (and the pandemic added to that level of uncertainty). It was an amazing experience, and although the performances came out just as impeccable as years before, there were many differences to the whole process. First, contact tracing played a huge part in the challenges the drama club faced. A few students, including myself, had to quarantine during the show and missed significant rehearsals before opening night. As challenging as it was, we all persevered and worked harder than ever to make the show truly spectacular. Another difference was where cast members remained during the show when they were not on stage. Normally, all cast members reside in the costume room, however as the room is very tiny we all could not stay there without defying the social distance protocol. Instead, we were dispersed in classrooms around the A-building, in the math and art hallways. In each room, a google meet of the show was projected on the screen so students could tell when they should leave to go on stage.

Additionally, the live audience was limited to two tickets per drama club member and our shows were limited to three instead of our usual five performances. Everything was very spur of the moment and we discovered new rules and regulations as we rehearsed for the show. Because of this, we were not even sure we would be able to have a live audience, so I was thrilled when friends and family were able to view it in-person. Different from previous years, we had a live stream so people who were not able to get live tickets could still watch the show. Altogether, I am so incredibly proud of the show the cast and crew put together, especially considering all of the hardships we endured. I loved my experience in cast this year and I am incredibly excited to, hopefully, participate in cast when the pandemic is not as big of a concern. It was a show of, I think, utmost quality, and the drama club never ceases to impress me with their commitment and expertise.