Play

The show must go on

Theater puts on The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon

Grace Mossing mossigra000@hsestudents.org

New York City canceled their Broadway shows in March and the hiatus will remain until at least May 30, 2021, according to Broadway’s website. The COVID-19 pandemic has shut down most of the arts and their shows for the past eight months, but the theater program at FHS has found a way to put on a play. The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon was not the rst pick for the school play, but they had to adjust and adapt due to the COVID-19 precautions. The story line combines di erent traditional Grimm Brothers tales into one cohesive plot. Director and theater teacher Anna Nickell found the play perfect for several reasons. “It is just really funny, and I think we could all use some laughs right now,” Nickell said. “Second, it is chaotic, fast-paced, makes little sense at times, on purpose, which I think is a great re ection of our current times.” The play can vary depending on the number of people in the cast or performance circumstances. If the school were to shut down before the play debuts, the cast could still perform a show on the Zoom platform with a di erent version of the script. The show will be di erent due to COVID-19 restrictions, as all cast members will be wearing masks. “Traditional acting involves a lot of voice work and facial expression, which is obviously tough to accomplish with half the face covered,” Nickell said. “We have decided that performing in masks is our safest option, so we’ve had the additional challenge of incorporating masks into some of the jokes and physical comedy of the show.” Senior Savanna Jensen, who plays Narrator One in the production, believes that the addition of masks into the show has been an obstacle but also a way to push herself in her acting. “We’ve had to get really good at using our eyebrows and our eyes to express all of our emotions,” Jensen said. “It’s been a cool challenge as an actor.” This production is also di erent from other plays in more ways than just COVID-19 restrictions and rules. The play uses the tactic of breaking the fourth wall, which is when actors speak directly to the audience. For reference, productions tend to perform like they are in that sense as that person, while when breaking the fourth wall the person is recognizing that they are an actor in a show.

“I’m having a really fun time,” senior Isabella Schott said. “I don’t actually spend a lot of time in character as Snow White. It’s a lot of the actress breaking the fourth wall and being like ‘wait a minute. I’m confused. What’s happening here’, and honestly that’s what I feel like I’m doing in the scene anyway.” The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon is also di erent as it includes 42 di erent characters, but the original show only included three actors to play these parts. With around 30 cast members in the production, a few cast members play more than one character. “I just love seeing what all the di erent actors do with their character choices because it’s hilarious,” Jensen said. With di erent actors taking on the role of sometimes the same character, they get to add their own spin and attitude to the role or mimic the actor who was once playing that character to add some comedy. Jensen and senior Isabella Schott are in a scene that demonstrates both of these unconventional characteristics of the play. In the scene, there are four characters: Snow White, Dwarf #2, Narrator One and Narrator Two. “We end up rotating and everyone gets to be a narrator at one point and everyone gets to be a dwarf of Snow White,” Schott said. “It gets really confusing, but it’s pretty cool.” The rotation of characters, along with breaks in acting to address the audience, makes the

Freshman Trinity Harder, who plays Rapunzel, rehearses talking back to her mother played by senior Chloe Carlson. During the practice on Nov. 2, she added extra sass, according to director notes. Photo by Emma Tomlinson.

performance equally chaotic and funny, according to Schott. The show has been moved to the auditorium where the Black Box stage will be moved to keep a small stage feel. The play will be holding live performances with socially distanced audiences on Nov. 20 and 21 at 7 p.m., and it will also be available for live streaming. Nickell and the play crew encourage everyone who can to attend the play in person or watch the play online. “It is really important to take all of the chances you can in this time to see some live performances and support the arts,” Nickell said.