At 7:30 p.m. on January 29-30, our middle school theatre program will try a brand new venture by presenting “Kittens & Auditions” live online! For a family price of $5, you can reserve your access to one of the shows by visiting https://conta.cc/3qGSN8H. Access must be purchased by 5:00 p.m. on the day of each show, and the link to view the production will be emailed to you 30 minutes prior to the selected performance. This year’s middle school play is actually two comedies specifically chosen because they take place in an online world.
According to director Whitney Eads: “The first play – ‘The Internet is Distract… Oh Look a Kitten!’ – hops all over the internet as a high-schooler tries to finish her paper on The Great Gatsby. ‘Bad Auditions: On Camera’ joins a casting director with a myriad of actors from all over the country as she tries to replace a crime series lead for NBC while she is stuck on a different set in Muncie, Indiana. The playwrights, Ian McWethy and Carrie McCrossen, gave us so many fun lines and stage directions that specifically involved acting remotely over a video platform, so the story fits well within the context of our ‘theatre space.’ Actors were given green screens and ring lights, and we have had so much fun figuring out virtual backgrounds. Even the crew worked on props both in school and remotely. We had three upper school student directors who have helped over zoom and created some of our video and sound cues. Mrs. Nockowitz runs our ‘backstage’ chat stream. I run our sound and camera views via two different programs routed through Zoom. The student actors join from their homes to rehearse and perform the show. It's all pretty complicated, but a fun challenge. What's more, it's all LIVE! I hope it will feel magical for the kids to know that family and friends are experiencing the show with them in real time from all over the country and potentially all over the world. We are stretching the bounds of what live performance can be in the age of COVID, and we hope that you join us from the comfort and safety of your home… pajamas, snacks and pets optional but encouraged!”