Safety Takes Center Stage

Shakespeare may have famously mused that “All the world's a stage”, but for MUSD theater, the school stage continues to be a source of inspiration for students, encouraging Visual and Performing Arts teachers to modify their programs to successfully meet school safety guidelines.

With the many constraints the pandemic has brought to students on campus, one notable arena that has required major modifications is high school theater programming, with the understanding that student needs are not solely academic. Student success develops in an environment where students can grow and flourish socially and emotionally, so to help accomplish this, the show must (safely) go on. And there’s no better place for students to take their place in the spotlight than in their school’s theater.

To keep students and staff safe, theater programs have adapted so they can continue with all necessary safety procedures in place.

After students returned to campus in a hybrid learning model last fall, East Union theater students put on a virtual play called A Mystery Murdered, which streamed over two weekends.

Filmed in the theater with actors spaced 6-12 feet apart, A Mystery Murdered was adapted so all students could participate, including students at home streaming via Teams. According to East Union Visual and Performing Arts teacher Annette Taser, “It was very challenging, considering we did most of our rehearsals over Teams, then transitioned it to Zoom for audiences, and learned film editing software.” Ms. Taser explained she had to familiarize herself with programs like OntheStage, a virtual ticketing and streaming platform – which didn’t happen without hiccups. Ms. Taser stated, “I have a few funny stories about learning how to stream the show from my kitchen using OntheStage. We did four shows in total, and no one could even see the first one because I streamed it to the wrong ‘channel’! There were a few other bumps in the road as shows continued, but everything went perfectly for our final performance.”

East Union isn’t the only school modifying their theater program for safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manteca High’s advanced theater class has successfully held an in-person play, with actors physically distanced and with face coverings in place at all times. Manteca High Visual and Performing Arts teacher Dawn Coyan explained, “Last week, the advanced theater class put on a one act play called Username. We had a very small audience that included a few students, some office staff and teachers, and a few parents. Actors remained masked and distanced for the duration of the play, as were the audience, but it worked!”

At the end of the term, Manteca High will put on a full-length play titled And a Child Shall Lead based on the lives of children in the Terezin Concentration Camp during World War II. To continue holding small in-person plays safely, audience invitations will be based on numbers allowed by the District and the County at that time.

Not unlike MHS, theater programming at Sierra High is still going strong! Spring plays are continuing with reduced capacity and alternate casts based on the days of the week students are attending school (Group A or Group B).

Theater programming at Weston Ranch High School has also been remodeled to safely serve student need, with actors currently filming a pre-recorded play to be released later this spring. In May, theater students will release a pre-recorded, full-length children’s play performance that will be shared with Weston Ranch feeder schools, to be streamed by elementary teachers. Weston Ranch Visual and Performing Arts teacher Bonnie Stogner was a recent recipient of a CalRTA mini-grant award which allowed her to purchase specialty equipment for her students. Ms. Stogner was able to purchase six voice amplifiers, which allow students to be heard more clearly with face coverings in place.

East Union’s Ms. Taser stressed the need for Visual and Performing Arts teachers across MUSD to be flexible while modeling creativity and resilience for their students during the pandemic. Despite ever-changing state and local conditions and their effect on MUSD mitigation plans, Ms. Taser noted that her students are eager to welcome back more audience members if conditions allow.

“We can all feel that things are changing for the better and everyone's’ spirits seem to be lifting. Everything feels more hopeful, and the kids are getting excited again,” expressed Ms. Taser.