Xander Walther, Video Editor
@xanderwcourant
This year, the theatre program here is excited to present Icarus’ Mother as the fall production. The play, made up of a small cast from each cohort, has a chaotic plot involving patriotic celebration and extensive monologues. Early production of the play has just started and with Coronavirus still posing a threat to our community, it’s important that our performers stay safe. To ensure the safety of the audience, the play will be streamed on BookTix Live. When it comes to the cast and crew of the play however, how are rehearsals going, and what obstacles have the director, student stage manager, actors, and actress had to overcome?
Choosing what production to put on this year was more challenging than in previous years due to the pandemic. This year, director Chris Myers had to factor in a number of considerations when making a decision. “A lot of components go into choosing any of our shows. We want to give as many students an opportunity as we can. In this instance, because of COVID, we have a lot of restrictions around what we can and can’t do and this show was a very simple setup so it felt like a good spot to start. Then we like to choose something that makes the actors feel like they can really dive into the characters and that’s one of the main reasons why we chose it,” Director Myers said. However, the obstacles presented by the Coronavirus doesn’t stop there. It’s important for the actors to work just as hard to stay safe and protect themselves as well as each other from any potential spread of bacteria. When asked about the precautions in place for the cast, “We have to follow every guideline that the students follow at school. All rehearsals are fully masked and the staging is six feet apart. The crew stays six feet apart, we have to be super safe, we go outside and we take mask breaks. We can’t have an audience in the theatre so it’s going to make the performance very different as well,” Director Myers said. Despite the challenges presented, the theatre department still has an amazing production in store for everyone. When asked what Icarus’ Mother was about, “It’s maybe not clear to everybody. It’s the kind of show that is left up to a lot of interpretation. It seems like it’s a group of friends having a nice day on the beach with a grill but then some unusual things start to happen, some things that couldn’t possibly be true and it’s really left up to the audience to figure out what was real, what wasn’t real and where are we really,” he said.
Senior and Student Stage Director Lucy Lee was faced with her own set of challenges when making sure everything runs smoothly between the two casts without taking any risks when it comes to the safety of the cast and crew. “We all rehearse at the same time, we just have to keep them separate. It’s a very different experience because the two different casts are playing two different roles. Each cast brings a new style of acting to the table and plays each character differently. It’s quite interesting seeing that and then dealing with them and even staging wise. I have different notes for both casts,” Lucy said. “I have to keep my distance from everyone more than I would’ve used to. The theatre community is a very tight-knit group. We used to spend a lot of time with each other so [the change of protocols]is a big change that we’ve had to get used to. In terms of the acting process, the actors need to wear masks, and projecting through their masks has been a learning curve they have had to overcome. They also can’t really touch each other or have any form of close contact which has caused a few major changes to be made in the show.” Some of the major changes Lucy mentioned even have to do with how the audience is going to view the play. Packing a theatre full of people isn’t an option in 2020, so the theatre department had to come up with another way to perform Icaru’s Mother this year. “The play will be recorded and then live-streamed. Tickets will be purchased online and then the performance can be viewed from the performance of your own home. That’s the safest way we can do it otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to fit enough people in the auditorium. It’s been a lot of fun learning how to stage the show, not only for a theatrical production but also for a filmed production and I think it’s a great learning experience for the cast and the crew.,” said Stage Manager Lucy Lee.
These new restrictions on the production process propose a challenge for actors too, Senior Jackson LaMorte included. Jackson has been acting since 7th-grade thanks to some of his friends convincing him to audition for an ensemble role. Ever since then, Jackson has taken acting more seriously and has landed the lead role in shows and musicals here. Despite his years of experience, this show is unlike any other. “Just having to act without an entire part of your face is a whole new thing that we have to explore,” he said. Even aside from the pandemic, the complexity of this one-act show is interesting to him. “It’s basically about a group of kids that have just finished a big fourth of July picnic and they are waiting for the fireworks and there are some events leading up to the fireworks. It’s very metaphorical. These kids are manipulating each other and mentally messing with each other up until the climax involving a jet plane flying overhead and what that symbolizes. It’s a very weird, very abstract show and it’s also a lot of fun.” Jackson is one of the three male characters in the show.. “My character is Howard and he’s one of the bigger antagonists, I would say. He’s very manipulative and likes to be dominant in the situation. He is also trying to team up with his other friend Billy and take control of the group to make sure everything goes as he plans,” Jackson said.
The theatre department has gone to great lengths to keep everyone safe while making sure this year’s production is just as impressive as its predecessors. Despite the many obstacles, the cast and crew have been working hard on this show set to stream on BookTix Live. The X cohort performance premieres on Thursday, November 19th at 7:00 pm. The second streaming of the show is on Saturday, November 21st at 2:00 pm. The Y cohort performance debuts on Friday, November 20th at 7:00 pm. The second stream is on Saturday, November 21st at 7:00 pm. Make sure to purchase tickets for the streaming on the NCHS theatre website because you won’t want to miss this. The good news is, this year, you don’t have to worry about it being sold out!
