The coronavirus has affected people’s lives in almost every way you could think of, including extracurriculars at school. Much discussion has been put into how this year’s fall production, David and Lisa, will take place. David and Lisa, (1962), portrays a group of adolescents in the 1960s living with various mental illnesses in a residential treatment center. 

“Because of social distancing requirements, having a main character afraid of human touch made it a very appropriate time. I think it’s vitally important to talk about issues like mental health, so I’m proud to be doing a show that openly discusses it and portrays it in such a human, empathetic way,” drama teacher Jessica Heidrick said.

The main concern when rehearsing and producing the play is the health and safety of the students and staff involved. In order to do this, the audition and rehearsal process will be adjusted to have these needs met.

“The audition process will definitely be different,” Heidrick said. “I’m taping out spaces on the stage floor so we can be sure to socially distance while auditioning, and I’ll have hand sanitizer out [which will be] required before filling out forms.”

Even with the extra precautionary measures being taken to keep everyone safe, for some students it was still a difficult decision whether or not to audition this year.

“When it came to deciding if I was going to audition I had to take into account how much in-person interaction I wanted to do on top of my established responsibilities,” senior Natalie Kuhn said. “I eventually decided to go ahead and audition with the mentality that if I do make the cast I will do all I can to safely rehearse and hoping that my fellow cast members would as well.”

Although it may seem like a lot is changing, from the perspective of a veteran crew member, it feels like just a few minor adjustments.

“I’m not too worried about social distancing and such because I know that it will be discussed heavily and we will have limits as to how many people are allowed to be in certain places at once,” sophomore Taylor Redington said. “The only problem would maybe be some scenes that will be very difficult to change in terms of what the actors are doing and how close they are together.” 

While the precautions being taken are drastically changing the process of this year’s production, the students in the drama department are aware that it is necessary for their safety, and are willing to make adjustments in order for the show to go on.

“Hopefully everyone will do what’s best for not only themselves but other drama department members,” Kuhn said. “So far I have seen our thespians and they have given me hope that this will work out well.”