playbill vip

     Ahh, the Pandemic! We made the decision to go 100% digital after learning that our return to campus was contingent upon the county health situation. I found myself restless at night, wondering how we would be able to pull off a musical on campus while keeping everyone safe--and, more importantly, while accomodating many of us involved in the project who were worried about the details of the virus and possible exposure. Enter our brilliant choreographer Zoe Swenson-Graham and her tag-team virtual production parter Alexa Burn (pictured below). Zoe and Alex had experience with virtual shows, having produced both She Kills Monsters and The Addams Family locally. With their enthusiasm for the energy of live performance capured remotely via Zoom, the safety of our show was guaranteed. 

     Now that the choreogaphy and technical direction were secured, I turned to the innovative and dedicated Dave Gregoric (also pictured below) to manage remote music. Not only did he work with new software to manage remote, recorded music, he inspired his musicians and ensemble singers to put together a first-rate soundtrack. Everything you hear in this production has been performed by students--either live or recorded remotely. Mr. G has been a rock of creativity, innovation, and sound editing at the helm of The Addams Family.

     As far as the book goes, The Addams Family Quarantine Concert Edition was designed to be socially distant. It shaved off about 25 minutes from the full production, but it packs a whallop. The show has hummable melodies, emotional harmonies, and more hooks than a tackle box. Yet, at the heart of this play is a message that no matter how quirky a family can be, "let's not talk of anything else but love," that truly keeps that family bond strong. 

     Families have been tested throughout this past year, as has our school community. However, as family of our own, we have stayed connected and supportive of each other. We've even been able to produce a musical, while completely remote. There are no limits to what our students--and our families--YOU, can do. We are truly looking forward to being in person--to welcoming audiences to live, in-person performances, and that will happen soon. We are just grateful that moving forward, we've learned to use new muscles and to adapt. The show, must, HAS and will continue to go on! Thank you to my theater family (seen here).

Joe Hudelson, Director

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pictured above: Alexa Burn, Zoe Swenson-Graham, and David Gregoric