Last year, just as auditions for Corry High’s production of “The Addams Family” and general production had started to get underway, the pandemic hit. The students were unable to perform, let alone truly start rehearsing for the show. However, this year, as things have begun to slightly improve, theater students are planning to perform “Little Women” (with some significant changes due to COVID guidelines and musical performance restrictions).

Some differences about this year’s musical from previous years would be that all the cast members are wearing shields, staying socially distant when off of the stage, taking temperatures, answering COVID symptom questions, not sharing costumes, and even recording the production for viewers to buy and watch at home rather than having a live audience.

As we interviewed some of the cast members from “Little Women,” we asked them how the rehearsal experience has been for them, what they look forward to, and their personal pros and cons about this type of practice:

Taylor Fenstermaker, a junior, said, “A pro would be that you get more one-on-one time when rehearsing. A con would be that you have to be apart more often and rehearse in smaller groups. Overall, rehearsing is fun no matter what and you make more friends and grow closer to people you don’t know to become a team.”

Senior Christina Newman added, “A pro is that people with social anxiety can stay more comfortable and distant with COVID. A con is that we can’t have more people together at once which makes it more difficult to be ready to record. Overall I enjoy that we can get everyone to rehearse in a safe way.”

“A con is that we have to wear a mask all the time which is a good thing but I’m really freaking sweaty,” Kyla Walker, a senior, said. “Though it is still just as fun as every other year and I’m glad I still get to hang out with my friends.

Payge Boucher said, “The fact that there’s a character in the show that dies from a respiratory disease in this year of COVID-19 is a con– but a huge pro would be that the show this year has a strong female lead!”

Senior Chase Suchar added, “A pro is that there is a smaller cast and you can get closer to the people in the cast. A con is that you don’t get to perform it live.”

Corry’s musical production of  “Little Women “will be recorded over the next few weeks and a link will be available to purchase between the middle and end of May to watch in the comfort of your own home.