When Covid-19 shut down schools last March, it put a stop to our planned Middle School spring musical Mary Poppins, which was just days away from auditions. That fall, things were still too uncertain to put on a play, and then it looked like we might not have a High School musical either. Safety had to be our number one concern, but...where did that leave us?
So I took a deep dive into the options. We could livestream a socially-distanced musical from our stage with no audience, wearing masks. It had worked for some children’s theatre companies. But I couldn’t stand the idea. I looked at all the mask options - clear masks, face shields, singer duck-masks. All awful. People said “You don’t notice them after a while” - but to me, they were all I could see. They looked terrible. They muffled the voice. Masks were a non-starter.
So if we weren’t going to wear masks, what options remained? Only one - do it outdoors. A live show outdoors? No, we still couldn't gather an audience. But what if we filmed it outdoors? Make it a movie. A movie musical, with pre-recorded singing so the actors could lip-sync and still keep a safe distance. This would be possible, right? Well...I wasn’t sure.
Then came along my student Ethan Chin, a senior. I was blown away by the amazing work Ethan did on our virtual Thespians Induction. He shot and edited a professional, cinematic video in lieu of our usual in-person ceremony. I knew I’d found my “in” to make the movie happen.
But...which show? There were plenty of options, but only a few would work. Our original choice for 2021 (Mamma Mia!) had to be postponed as that show didn’t offer a streaming license. So I started thinking about shows that took place outdoors, and eventually we came to Oklahoma!
I was very familiar with the script & score - as a junior at Penn State I was cast in the ensemble of Oklahoma! Though I’d never seen it before, I had a wonderful time dancing and singing and being a cowboy. 10 years later I was cast as Curly in a professional production, and this time I got to throw a punch, fire a gun, sing lots of songs and even kiss the girl at the end. Exciting!
With the official go-ahead to produce our Rye Neck movie musical, the challenge was clear: how could we rehearse a huge stage production (in cohorts, no less!) and be ready to turn it into a film in only 7 weeks? I didn’t want a static video that looked like we just pointed cameras at an outdoor production of the show. I wanted the film to move, to clearly illustrate this new medium.
Enter David Golden, who has been doing amazing work filming and editing our musicals for years. While Ethan would serve as director of photography, Mr. Golden was there throughout filming to help capture what I saw in my head, plus to provide suggestions for better shots and clearer ideas. Then he spent countless hours studying the footage and stitching it together, leading the editing of our scenes into a beautiful final product on par with any Hollywood film.
I also had the help of my wonderful collaborators from the past few years: music director Kathryn Krull, choreographer Fran DeAngelo, lighting designer Julia McCabe, costumes manager Karen Fontecchio, and the amazing Preston Briggs, our genius set designer who built outdoor sets that were nicer (and bigger) than my real house.
It took the students in the cast and crew some time to fully jump on board with this project. I think at first they (along with all of us!) wished we could have just done our usual live musical. But once we got going, you could see the joy in their eyes, the thrill of actually doing something, instead of canceling yet another beloved activity. Several students told me privately that they were happier doing this show than they’d been all this long covid year. It’s hard to overstate that kind of effect! So thanks to Dr. Wilson for giving this project her thumbs-up.
I hope you’ll agree that the end result is a whole lot of fun, and was an excellent way to keep the students’ spirits up during tough times. So please sit back, relax, and enjoy Oklahoma!
Scott Harris
