This year the covid pandemic has impacted all aspects of student life including the fall play. Because so many people typically watch the play in the theater at the same time and so many actors have to touch on stage, the Fine Arts Department has taken precautions to keep everyone safe, including finding a different way to do auditions, keeping everyone six feet away from each other, implementing masks, and cutting down the number of people in the audience. Jennifer Finlayson, Middle School performing arts teacher and Director of the fall play, said, “In August, I knew I wanted to do an in-person fall play. Permissions were granted [by the administration] and the plan began soon thereafter.”

The plan started with socially-distanced auditions. Usually, when auditions occur for the fall play, students go into a room with three to four other people and do a chosen monologue in front of a teacher. Since this year, everyone has to stay six feet apart, and because so many people auditioned, the process needed a change. Students submitted Flipgrid videos with an introduction and a monologue; then, callbacks were held in person, six feet apart. The Fine Arts department then formed two casts, the “Wild Cast” and the “Cats Cast.” 

After the audition process finalized, rehearsals proceeded with social distancing intact. For everyone to stay six feet apart, actors have had to stand on spike tape to make sure everyone keeps their spacing at all times. “Staying six feet apart while acting in a play is hard, but we make it work,” says 8th-grade cast member Kayla Chaney.

Mask wearing with costumes is also a huge part of the fall play while keeping everyone safe. This problem was solved by creating special masks that go with the costumes and keep everyone safe.

The audience for each performance will consist of fifty people, and the fifty people in the audience will strictly consist of parents of the actors. Audience members will also have five seats between each person to keep everyone spaced. Though the live play allows parents to come, other friends and family can watch a live stream of the performances on Friday and Saturday.

The fall play has been a tradition at Westminster for a very long time, and the school wasn’t going to change that just because of a pandemic. With all of the work that has gone into the safety of the fall play for COVID purposes, it seems that it will be very successful and virus-free.