Most years, I begin thinking about and planning our next show during Tech Week of the previous show. So, in November of 2019, I began imagining the musical that everyone assumed we would produce in the fall of 2020. Patrick Anderson and I discussed the strengths of the students we expected would return to be in the cast and crew and brainstormed about possible shows that would be a good fit. We envisioned elaborate sets and costumes, a cast and crew of just just under 100 students, and a packed auditorium for each performance. Of course, a few months later, COVID-19 changed our priorities and expectations.
At the beginning of this school year, we did not know whether we would be able to have a musical this school year at all. If we did, we knew that it would look very different from any of our previous productions. In January, we received the green light to produce a musical, but it must adhere to the now familiar COVID safety guidelines. As we selected a show for this year, we considered previously unheard of issues: Can we perform it with 25 cast members or less? Can we perform it while keeping the students sufficiently distanced onstage and backstage? Are we legally allowed to stream the performances? Can we costume the cast without using the dressing rooms? What role will masks play in our costuming? How will we sanitize the props? Additionally, we wanted a show that the students would enjoy performing because, at the end of the day, they were the reason we wanted to produce a musical.
Ultimately, we decided that ‘Disney’s The Lion King, Jr.’ would be the best choice to meet all of the criteria. So, we licensed it and launched auditions for cast and crew the following week.
Though ‘Disney’s Lion King, Jr’ was initially selected because it could be produced in accordance with the COVID safety criteria, it has been a fun and creative experience for myself and for the students. The show itself has offered so many educational and performance opportunities that are unique to ‘The Lion King’ musical. For example, I have enjoyed teaching the students to become animals (and grass!) through body language, dance, vocal exploration, and costumes. The students have explored a complete range of acting emotions from the comedy of “Hey! Pumba! Not in front of the parents!” to the grief of Mufasa’s death. Crew has learned to create scene projections and build African landscapes and props. Additionally, live theater is always a venue for cultural and historical education, and this show provided a unique opportunity for our students to learn about and celebrate African cultures. Through research and conversations with experts, our goal was to create a ‘Lion King Experience’ that is respectful and authentic to the cultures of the continent.
There are so many reasons why we wanted to produce a musical this year despite the pandemic, but the main reason was simply for the students. For many students, being involved in the musical is the highlight of their school year. To say they look forward to it every year would be an understatement. In a year when so many things that we look forward to have been cancelled, I wanted for Clay students and families to be able to enjoy being part of the musical.
Still, the show would not have been possible without the support of our school and the help of socially-distanced armies of parents. To all of you, I want to take a moment to say Thank You! This production would not have happened without you. I thank you! Mr. Anderson thanks you! The students thank you!
