Even in a virtual setting, COVID cannot halt the power of school clubs and activities. With the help of online tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, clubs can gather once or twice a week from the comfort of members’ homes. Even school athletics have been able to convene, holding practices while still maintaining social distancing.

However, Theatre Club, being such a hands-on and in-person activity, has fallen victim to COVID, remaining shut down until further notice. Disaster first struck in March when the school’s production of Roald Dahl’s Matilda was brought to an abrupt pause. Weeks and weeks of preparation, work and rehearsals suddenly slipped away from the cast, crew and staff; in a flash, seniors lost their final show and many freshmen were deprived of their first school show. 

Taylor Furness was a freshman during Matilda, playing the role of the title character herself. “Matilda was my favorite show,” said Taylor. “Doing the show was so much fun. I feel like the cast just got along so well.”

But with the show being abruptly canceled and the hope of ever performing vanishing, Taylor had to let go of Matilda. 

“It definitely took a couple weeks to sink in after [our director and producer] said it wouldn’t just be two weeks. It took a while to sink in that we may not be [performing], or if we do, it may not be for a while… I was memorizing my lines and now my script is just sitting in my drawer and I don’t know what to do,” she said. 

Sadly, theatre has been very inconsistent for Tyalor since the ending of Matilda.

“Since Matilda ended, I haven’t really done any… virtual shows or… gone to my singing lessons either. I have been taking time for myself and relaxing for now,” she said.

Unfortunately, theatre has yet to start again in school. Not only has the Theatre Department been struggling, the Theatre Club has yet to hold another meeting since their last one in February. 

“This year has obviously been different [from years prior],” explained senior and president of Theatre Club, Nathan Hansford. “We don’t have a show going on currently, we are not having any rehearsals and we haven’t really had any meet-ups, unfortunately. We don’t really have anyone in charge who is leading the force right now, so hopefully we can figure something out for the rest of the year.”

In the fall, Theatre Club officers reached out to their adviser, Mrs. Lisa Litchko-Stunder, but were told there was not enough guidance to resume meetings and activities due to the nature of the club.

In years prior, Theatre Club would meet once a week, where people would bring snacks, play fun improv games, and learn different elements of theatre such as lights and stage crew with Stage Crew adviser Mr. Milton Kunz. Additionally, Theatre Club would host shows such as the annual Cabaret and attend field trips to New York City, where the entire club would see a Broadway show. But the club was greatly limited during the 2018-2019 school year with fewer meetings and fewer events planned than usual. Hansford, however, being elected president the following year, turned the club around.  

“I was not expecting to win, but I was very excited to put my input into [the club] because I was disappointed in how it had worked out the previous year and how a lot of stuff didn’t happen. I was excited to rejuvenate… the club,” Nathan said. 

Sadly, only four months into his leadership, Nathan watched as Theatre Club shut down with the arrival of COVID. And now, without any guidance, the club continues its hiatus. 

“I am not going to have a senior [Thespian Conference], a senior banquet [or] a senior toast which I have been rehearsing since my freshman year. [People] say it’s going to come fast, the four years are going to blow by in an instant, and they did,” Nathan said. 

For now, all students can do is hope for the speedy return of theatre so seniors like Nathan can enjoy their last few months at the school and sophomores like Taylor can finish the show they never finished. 

“I am hopeful that we are able to return someday to some sort of normalcy where we can have those [club] experiences again, because that is what’s important.”