COVID-19 has put many events on hold these past few months, but as things slowly start back up, Westerville North’s theatre department is no exception. Troupe 3156 has made changes in all aspects of the production due to the pandemic, but there will be a play this coming Fall! 

   Senior Autumn Nelson is currently president of troupe 3156 and is part of the cast of the upcoming play titled Orphan Trains. 

   “I perform as 2 characters, a German orphan named Marlena who is adopted by an old lady in Indiana, and a Midwestern farm wife named Clara Lathie who takes in an orphan from New York,” Nelson said. 

   Nelson has studied the background of this play in order to play her characters to the best of her abilities.

   “At the turn of the century in New York, there was a huge epidemic of orphans. People lived closely together and disease spread like wildfire through the unclean streets of New York and lots of kids lost their parents to diseases like tuberculosis and measles. 

   “Eventually, a Reverend came up with a plan to ship all of these orphans out to families in the country who would take them in and raise them. The orphan trains carried around 200,000 children to new homes from 1853 to the 1920s,” Nelson said.

      Junior Allyn Simon, who will play Justina in the production, has seen how modifications are being made due to COVID-19.

   “We [the actors] have to stay at somewhat of a distance, and we are avoiding physical contact for the most part up until we film,” Simon said.

   Additionally, Westerville North is requiring that masks be worn at all times other than during filming. 

   “We all have our temperatures taken before entering rehearsal and we must use hand sanitizer upon arrival,” Simon said.

   As for the crew, the changes are slightly different.

   Senior Addie Schmitt is a part of the crew for this production.

   “In crew, we can only work in groups of five. This isn’t much of a problem, as we’re used to working on solo projects, and we don’t usually have more than 10 people coming in on a normal workday. However, we can’t put on an actual show, so run crew only moves the sets so that the cast can film each scene,” Schmitt said.

   Troupe 3156 has taken every necessary precaution to ensure the safety of its cast and crew, and many are happy to abide by these rules if it means having a play in the Fall.

   However, Simon and others have encountered some unique struggles throughout this production.

   “There are instances in the show where people hug or hold hands, and it is difficult to fully portray the scene without that. “It’s also very hard to understand others acting with their masks on, and interpreting my scene partners’ emotions has been harder given that I can’t see her lower face,” Simon said.

   Other cast members have shared similar struggles to Simon.

   “I would say the most difficult thing this year has been planning, canceling, and replanning. Mrs. M’s (our director) creativity knows no bounds so adapting isn’t the problem, it’s having enough time to do so and communicating information out to everyone. 

   Two days before auditions, we were told that we weren’t allowed to have in-person auditions and we had to replan them to be virtual and let everybody know in about 24 hours. That was a crazy day!” Simon said. 

   The show will not have a live performance in order to follow state guidelines regarding social distancing, this being just another challenge for the cast and crew as a result of COVID-19. 

   “I enjoy feeling the adrenaline of being on stage and having the pressure to not mess up, it’s like a challenge, but a good one. When filming if you mess up you can just go back and re-film that scene or that line. 

   “It just doesn’t have the same challenging feel to it. It is also sad that we won’t be able to have a live audience. The cast of shows always loves audience interaction. It’s fun for us to hear them laugh or clap and not having that live reaction just won’t feel the same,” Simon said. 

   For Nelson and many others, having a positive mindset is key during these times.

   “As an actor, you really feed off of the audience’s reactions, and you rely on their energy to maintain the emotional heights of certain scenes. However, filming opens up a world of different opportunities when you think about different camera angles, cutaways, music underscoring, etc, that will bring Orphan Train to life in a very different and beautiful way. It’s also a great learning experience for our performers because most high schoolers don’t have the opportunity to learn how to act for film,” Nelson said.

 Schmitt appears to agree with Nelson.

   “Other schools haven’t even been allowed to put on a fall show at all, which is even worse. I’m glad we have what we do,” Schmitt said.

   Many have wondered how the final product can be viewed this year.

   “Audiences can watch our filmed production by purchasing a ticket through our booster website: wnhstheatre.org. They will receive a link that will allow them to watch the show. Viewing dates are currently planned to be October 8-10. Prices will be $10 for a single view, $25 for a family view, and $50 for a larger gathering/donation view,” Nelson said.

   Westerville North’s theatre department has overcome many challenges due to the ongoing pandemic, but the cast and crew have also made a lot of fun memories from the process thus far.

   “The most exciting part of the production so far has probably been how different it is from every other production we’ve ever done. It’s a completely new experience for cast and crew and it’s exciting to be able to experience this new format of theatre,” Simon said.