One way to survive a life in quarantine is to attend virtual performances. Luckily for Valley residents, Harwood Union High School (HUHS) drama students will provide such quarantine relief, while also offering 10 more ideas on how to survive isolation in their new play, “10 ways to Survive a Life in Quarantine.”
The play, which the HUHS drama department calls “the perfect play for imperfect times,” will be available for streaming on the website https://huhs.anywhereseat.com from Thursday, December 3, at 7:30 p.m. through Sunday, December 6.
Tickets can be purchased at the website for a minimum of $5, but anyone can donate more to support the HUHS drama department. The online platform, AnywhereSeat, allows viewers to purchase digital access to the play and attend virtually from anywhere. Those who purchase tickets will receive a special Ticket Code that reserves an online seat. To access the play, viewers simply enter their Ticket Codes when it’s time.
To create an online performance, HUHS drama students are prerecording scenes and compiling them with the help of director Scott Weigand. Scott’s wife and HUHS chorus director Stefanie Weigand commented on the process. “All of the actors are filming from home and then we put them all together,” said Stefanie. “It’s all these vignette scenes. It’s very funny.”
Not only is the play virtual, but rehearsals have been virtual as well, taking place over Zoom. “Rehearsals have been all online,” said Stefanie, who claims that students are making the most of online theater. “They’re doing such a great job in rehearsal,” she said. The play features Harwood students Mo Wing, Winter Haberle, Maddie Thibault, Abigail Leighty, Annie McMillion and a few special guests.
In her conversation with The Valley Reporter, Stefanie Weigand also dropped a sneak peak of what the annual Harwood musical will look like this spring. While she didn’t say what the musical will be, she mentioned that it might be an outdoor affair.
“We’re in the process of planning what we’re going to do with the musical. We normally have the musical in April. But we’re hoping that if we can push dates back a little bit later in the year that we can have an outdoor performance,” she said. “That’s the hope.”
