Here's the part where we talk about the pandemic.
Look, it's difficult enough to get out of bed, let alone go to school, let alone put on a musical production in about two and a half months; but when you have material that is SO perfect for these exceedingly strange times that we live in, it's difficult to not be moved to action. The Theory of Relativity isn't a typical musical. It doesn't follow a single plot line or a single protagonist. Instead, it's about all of us, about the connections made across time and space, about those infinitesimal moments that define the human experience. It is, in essence, about the underlying themes of this last year, brought to life in a joyous explosion of creativity that demonstrates all of the many, many modes that Musical Theatre as a genre can be.
With basically nothing but challenges - the aforementioned timeframe; the fact that, under our current COVID protocols, students were not allowed to sing while in the theatre, instead having to pre-record all of their vocals from home; the use of masks and social distancing and sanitization; the lack of an in-person audience; cast members performing in-person and online; cast members quarantining due to close-contacts; and many, many more little challenges that arose simply due to attempting to create art in a pandemic - this group of performers and designers have risen to the challenge and have created a performance that is an ebullient expression of their passion and dedication to this art form that we all love.
It's been almost two years since we've been able to get a full production off the ground, and after the cancellation of last year's productions of Almost, Maine and Legally Blonde, it would have been so easy for our students to simply admit defeat and move on. Instead, they've tackled this show with gusto and have made it their own: designing, choreographing, acting, singing, producing, both on stage and behind the scenes. The work they've created is extraordinary. We're so, so proud of their creation and we can't wait to share it with you all.
- Matthew Blackwell, Chris Dela Cruz, Brooke Hodgson, and Hannah Keim
