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The annual Avonworth Fall Play was a new experience for everyone involved this year. CDC guidelines made it impossible to perform normally, but the drama team found a way to put on a fantastic show in just two and a half weeks, coming up with creative solutions to obstacles along the way.
Since you didn’t get to see it live, you can stream it at your own convenience now.
Avonworth Drama has a holiday gift for everyone!!FREE now through December 31st, our staged Radio Play version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is available for viewing!!Click on the link to view: https://www.avonworth.k12.pa.us/PerformingArts.aspx
If you can, we would appreciate any donation in place of ticket charges. To donate, please send cash/check to:Avonworth Drama (can be collected in the HS Office)
An audience could not attend the performance on the stage in the auditorium and watch the actors as they usually could, so the show this year was in an audio-focused format, in the style of a festive radio drama from the 1940s. Mics and Christmas trees decorated the stage, along with a functioning “On Air” sign that hung on the wall and lit up during the show. A live sound effects crew sat around a table in the middle of the stage with a variety of creative foley tools that added depth and excitement to the actor’s voices. The one-hour production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” was recorded on Wednesday, November 11, and will be uploaded at a later date.
Eli King, who played Fezziwig and a merchant, said that he thought the new format of the show made his performance better since he could focus on his line delivery without worrying about blocking. Despite this, he prefers a normal play in a year with no covid restrictions. “I hope the virus is over before musical season,” he said.
Masks are the new normal, but when a group relies on their speaking for a performance, how could they have fabric in the way? Parents that have provided help to the drama team for years came through once again and created custom masks for the actors, with adjustable straps and a bendable nose piece, as well as a structure that kept the mask away from the face.
Finally, after just a few weeks of creating an entire show from nothing (and only two days before the scheduled recording date), the Avonworth Drama Department got the news that the school would be shutting down all sports and activities until after Thanksgiving. Instead of panicking or giving up on the show, the entire team pulled together with very little notice and put on a spectacular performance two days earlier than planned! Congrats to the actors, crew, director, sound designer, parents, and everyone who played a part in creating a wonderful and festive show!
Photos from Peyton Bauer, additional reporting from Heidi Hamrick.
