Madison Theatre returns next weekend

Last October, Madison

High School became one of the first high schools in

Ohio to perform a musical during the pandemic.

My production of “Chicago: High School Edition” was originally scheduled for May 2020 at Rabbit Run Theatre and it finally premiered as a re-engineered sociallydistanced production in the high school gym this past October.

Just a mere five months late.

Since then, however, there has not been much to see with the late fall surge that has finally begun to subside somewhat this past month. That window will allow Madison Theatre to perform again next weekend with a series of one-act performances.

This evening of one-acts will perform in the Madison High School lecture hall on March 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. and March 6 at 2 and 7 p.m.

If you would like to see the production, you better know a cast member. As part of their COVID performance protocols, only four tickets will be provided to each student to keep audience size limited.

Under these conditions, however, Madison Theatre will finally get to stage their “fall play” performance slot — in March. Jocelyn and Bob Kilpatrick will direct the oneacts.

“Most of them are comedies,” Jocelyn Kilpatrick tells me. “We have 12 student performers and two backstage student crew members.”

The productions include: “Old Wives’s Tail,” “Nothing,” “1st Draft 2nd Rte Love Story” and “The Wrap Up” by John Busser; “Death Takes the Train” and “Looks Get in the Way” by D.M. Larsen; “Who’s on First” by Abbott and Costello; and “Cube Mates” by Aaron Drews.

Cast include Amelia Marlow, Soo Varga, Casey Couch, Emma Blake, Li Winner, Rachel Garvin, Dominic Delligatti, Amaya Glover, Nicholai Marko, Emily Coach, Kayelee Coan, and Bella Perez.

“Our thinking was that if someone got quarantined or sick, it would only take out the one-acts that they are in instead of the whole show,” Jocelyn said. “We selected them because we personally know John Busser and Aaron Drews. They are letting us perform the pieces royalty-free. That way, if the show were to get shut down due to COVID, we wouldn’t lose a lot of money.”

COVID colors everything. Perhaps as a result, the Kilpatricks chose all comedies.

“We are trying to be creative and have fun,” Jocelyn says. “Everyone needs that right now! Plus, (Principal) Fisher said he really likes comedies.”

Nicholai Marko is a 17-year-old junior in the casts. He has previously appeared in Madison Theatre productions of “The Laramie Project” and “The Empty Chair.”

“‘Cube Mates’ (is my favorite), because it’s comedic and bizarre,” Nicholai said. “I’m just trying to bring life to all the characters to make them believable.”

Despite the challenges of rehearsing in a pandemic, Nicholai says he hasn’t had any challenges.

“Except for finding the time to memorize four different plays,” he said.