Cast thrilled to be getting back on stage
It looked like it was curtains for the South Canterbury Drama League’s Curtains the Musical Whodunnit when lockdown was announced three days before opening night, but the show is back on with a new rehearsal schedule.
‘‘We were super devastated,’’ one of the lead actors Macy Shields, 17, said of the production being put on hold.
Shields, who has been acting since she was 12, plays Georgia Hendricks, a lyricist who takes over the role of the leading lady when she collapses.
She said the show had been ready and the cast had been excited about performing before Covid-19 put a halt to it.
‘‘We knew it was still happening, but we didn’t know when.’’
Rehearsals resumed on June 4, with a specific hygiene regime under level 2, and the show now has a rescheduled opening night of July 8.
Macy said, while bored in lockdown, she had recited her lines in front of the mirror so getting back into rehearsals had been a smooth transition.
Drama League junior section co-chair Tamara Hogg said it was ‘‘fantastic’’ to be back in rehearsals, despite five cast members pulling out.
Hogg said they had managed to juggle things around as well as bring a few new performers on board.
‘‘When we walked out [before lockdown] we left the stage, lighting and costumes ... It was stressful.’’
Now she sees the extra few weeks’ rehearsal as a blessing, as the mood of the cast and crew had lifted with the start of the season just around the corner.
‘‘It has taken the show to a new level. We’re grateful to have the extra time,’’ Hogg said.
The theatre was precious to the South Canterbury community and the show was important for the more than 30 young cast members to perform after all their hard work, Hogg said.
Curtains the Musical Whodunnit will be staged from July 8 to 11 at The Playhouse Theatre on Church St. Tickets can be purchased through iTicket.