As the school year begins, the theatre and choir programs, heavily centered on in-person class structure and live performance, are working to figure out what the 2020-2021 school year will look like for them. These programs are constantly adapting so that the students can become the best performers they can be. 

“For IB Theatre, we have been doing exercises that help us get to know each other better,” junior Ceci Dockins said. “On the first day, Mrs. Thompson had us get an object that we got during quarantine and show it to the class. We’ve also played Two Truths and a Lie. It is really important that we do these exercises, because to successfully put on a show, we need to be comfortable with each other.”

Ice breakers are what these classes would normally do for the first week of school. However, after a while these programs will need to work on the performance aspects of their classes, which has proven to be a challenge.

“Virtual classes are very different from regular face-to-face instruction,” choir teacher Brad Wright said. “It’s very difficult to sing and do music on a video call. I’ve posted some music for my students to watch and comment on. I am still looking for some fun alternative things to do with my choirs until we are back to face-to-face instruction.”

The choir and theatre programs have been able to recognize that their job is to bring joy to others. Even though they do not know what this year holds, they recognize that positivity is important. 

“I’m honestly not sure what our future choir performances will look like,” senior Max Runnels said. “I know it’s going to be a struggle to stay positive, so that makes our job of spreading happiness all the more important.” 

According to ABC News, singing is a very effective way to spread COVID-19. This is because singing uses almost the entire respiratory system and a lot of mouth movement. According to World Health Organization advisor Mary-Louise McLaws, singing risks spreading COVID-19 as much as hospital procedures like intubation and resuscitation.

“The standard design for auditorium spaces also present a challenge for social distancing in the audience. In response to this challenge, the IB theater program has plans to utilize technology.”

“We aren’t exactly sure how we will be doing performances this year, but Mrs. Thompson has mentioned that we might do a lot with filming us,” Dockins said. “So we’d have two of us come in, and we would be able to act off of one another. I really hope that we will be able to do this, because I cannot wait to act again.”

Face to face instruction will begin on Oct 1. So, the theatre and choir classes will be able to run more smoothly. However because of social distancing and mask wearing, there will still be challenges to face.