"Impossible!" they said. "A musical during a pandemic is out of the question!" they said.
Well, as we learn toward the end of Act I, Impossible things are happening every day... and this show is no exception.
When I created the Region 10 Players 3 years ago, I set out to bring quality theatre to the Region 10 community. I wanted to share my vast knowledge of theatre with the students and help them create works of art they were proud of, while also teaching them valuable lessons along the way. When Covid-19 struck, and we were sent home from school after only 2 rehearsals into our production of As You Like It, I thought, "How am I going to bring theatre to a community stuck at home? How are we going to rehearse? How am I going to engage my students so they still feel they are producing a piece of art they are proud of?" And then, it happened. Inspiration from my students who said "We still want to perform!" came in droves, and we produced our first virtual production last spring. Fast forward to the fall when the idea of doing a show at all was up in the air. But we did not give up. The students wanted a show, wanted to learn, wanted to return to some sense of "normal" and so we proposed a winter play. Almost, Maine was recorded and streamed and adored by all who tuned in on February 12th. The students were happy; I was happy; the community found a spark of encouragement that the "impossible" just might be possible...
Weeks after Almost, Maine closed, I got a visit from some of my favorite seniors... proposing we do a second show this year: a musical. Musical theatre being my background, of course I was in favor, but I knew we had to be smart and safe about doing a musical. There are many more moving pieces when putting together a larger show with singing, dancing, and live music. After several drafts of proposals, we landed on a happy compromise in order to produce this musical that the students are extremely proud of.
The music you hear tonight is pre-recorded so as to not have live wind instruments in a small enclosed theatre. The students who are not yet fully vaccinated will be wearing masks. The blocking is socially distanced when possible. All of these allowances do not take away from the magic of this beautiful show. I am confident you will quickly forget that this is not how the original production was intended to be. You will fall in love with the characters, some new, some classic. You will want to get up and sing and dance with your favorites! You will leave the theatre tonight feeling carefree and confident that we accomplished something near impossible, and we accomplished it well. This return to LIVE theatre is such a big step for us, as a community, as a production team, and as a cast. We are all, cast and crew, very excited for you to share in the joy and magic that IS Cinderella.
As Marie says, "Because these daft and dooey-eyed dopes keep building up impossible hopes, impossible things are happening every day." So call me a "dooey-eyed dope." Impossible things, like putting on a full scale musical during a global pandemic, are possible if you work hard and work together.
Enjoy the show! And thank you for all of your love and support of the Region 10 Players.
~Meredith Roll, Director
