This weekend marks history for the TVDSB as tickets for their first virtual production goes live.
Central Elgin Collegiate Institute is putting on this year’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone virtually. The show’s director, Sarah Abbott says that its equal parts scary and exciting:
“Scary earlier on because you’re trotting new territory. There’s no instruction manuals for how to do this . . . having to problem solve and find those new innovative ways to do things was exciting, adventurous, but there were times it got frustrating.”
The cast for this year’s virtual production.
Abbott is a teacher at CECI. She has been putting on shows for TVDSB since she got on the supply list there in 2013. She understands how important these productions are for the kids.
“Creative people need an outlet to create and they’re going to find a way to do it no matter what.”
Green screen magic in CECI’s The Drowsy Chaperone.
She says she has had an outpouring of support from the students, who all needed a space and experience this year.
Despite roadblocks like a global pandemic getting in their way, Abbott and the students wore new hats (literally and figuratively) to get this done together.
Abbott says that she had to look at this production not like a traditional play but almost like a film. The student rehearsals were strange felt strange being online but they adapted their performance for a virtual show. Marrying the content of the play to how it is presented was one of the reasons why The Dirty Chaperone was so appropriate. About the play, Abbott says:
“It doesn’t hide from making fun of itself. It’s a very clever show . . . It’s a Canadian written play that’s basically musical theatre making fun of musical theatre. Its very meta, very self aware . . . that’s a great thing for this. We’re not shying away from the fact that we realize what this is. That’s exactly what the original show does itself.”
CECI’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone runs from May 21st to June 14th. Tickets are on sale now, here.
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