Last spring, our school play was unfortunately canceled due to the national quarantine, and many people are wondering if Agnes Irwin will be hosting a theatrical production this year. Read on to find out how RepCo and the Agnes Irwin Theater Department are overcoming COVID-19 restrictions and keeping the performing arts alive at AIS.
The pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to creative communities across America, but Agnes Irwin is working to provide its artistic students with safe opportunities for expression. I recently had the chance to interview junior Andi Oates, a three-year member of RepCo, to discuss the virtual programs and events RepCo and Arts Council will be offering to Upper School students in the coming weeks and months.
One major RepCo project is their new virtual workshop series, which began the week of October 5th. These workshops center around various aspects of theater and performance, such as choreography, improvisation, stage magic, and more! Starting Sunday, October 25, RepCo will be organizing several show-specific seminars alongside Broadway Weekends, an outside organization and “theater camp, for all;” sessions are open to all Upper Schoolers and no prior training or experience is required to participate.
For those who prefer to watch theater rather than be a part of it, RepCo will also be hosting casual “movie nights” through Zoom. Every weekend, they invite students to relive past AIS productions by attending virtual showings of our most popular shows, like last fall’s Mamma Mia!
And now, the news we’ve all been waiting for: will there be a fall musical or play this year? Andi reveals that Mrs. Stait, head of the AIS Theater Department, has “really been advocating for us [the theater community]” and was able to develop an online alternative to a live musical! This fall, AIS will be producing Help Desk, a comedic vignette play comprised of ten short scenes in which characters seek assistance from a help desk and encounter some hilariously absurd problems in the process. The play is “written specifically for the virtual platform” and will be performed from actors’ homes, making it completely COVID-safe for cast, crew, and Zoomed-in audience. Pair auditions were held via Zoom the week of October 12.
Many students are understandably a bit hesitant about getting involved in theater because of how different it’s going to look this year, but Andi encourages them to “just go for it.” Upper Schoolers should keep on the lookout for RepCo and Arts Council announcements so they’re aware of all opportunities available to them, including possible in-person events later in the year, like an on-campus open-mic night. Andi realizes that joining a new activity can be especially stressful at this time, but she hopes that this won’t deter students from exploring the performing arts. AIS’s artistic community is remarkably resilient, and Andi is confident that no matter the obstacles our theater department faces as it navigates the online space, “everything will come together in the end.” After all, the show must go on!
