The Journey

On March 13, 2020, as cast members of the contest play prepared for their first dress rehearsal, the governor announced that all schools in Illinois would close for two weeks. Though the IHSA had already cancelled the sectional and state drama contests, our cast and crew hoped to return to the PAC in two weeks to present their show, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, for an audience of friends and family.

But the school closures didn't last just two weeks. They were extended for the rest of the academic year, and we were unable to present the contest play and the spring musical, which was already in rehearsal by the middle of March.

Over the summer, as directors read scripts and prepared for the new year, we simply didn't know what our 2020-2021 season would be like--but we knew that our students were eager to return to performing. As our district considered different formats for the return to school (ultimately starting the year with several weeks of remote learning before bringing students back to campus on a staggered schedule), we knew that we had to choose productions that would allow us to rehearse and perform in a new way.

For the contest drama, we also waited eagerly for plans and instructions from the Illinois High School Association. Would the IHSA sponsor the annual drama and group interpretation contest? If so, what would those events look like during a pandemic? Late in December, the IHSA announced that it would move forward with the annual drama contest--but in a virtual format this year.

With that knowledge, we selected The Women of Lockerbie as our show. Because this year allows us to imagine the contest drama beyond the typical restraints of the stage, this feels like the right year to produce this show--and to produce it in a creative form.

Like all things this year, the rehearsal process for the 2021 contest play required a lot of flexibility and adaptability. The students in the cast met for practices in classrooms, in hallways, in virtual video conferences, and--yes!--in the PAC. They met after school, on weekends, and even on snow days. They rehearsed wearing masks and learned blocking that always kept them at least six feet apart.

Our technicians are also demonstrating their flexibility this year. Usually, the contest play requires a large crew of technicians who learn to set and strike the stage in fewer than 20 minutes. In fact, one of the highlights of the annual contest play is watching the crew silently assemble the set in mere minutes; in recent years, the set crew has built a Parisian bar, a St. Louis street scene, a doughnut shop, and a cabin retreat. This year, because the show is not travelling, technicians worked to film the production, add sound and music cues, organize props, and handle lighting.

As a virtual show, this year's contest play will definitely look different from a traditional production. But we hope that you'll enjoy the intimacy of seeing the actors in "close-up," something that's just not possible in our PAC, which seats more than 700 people. That intimacy feels especially appropriate for the very personal and emotional story told through The Women of Lockerbie.

Thank you for your support of Belleville West Little Theatre. We hope that you enjoy the show, and we hope that we will be able to welcome you back to the BW PAC in the near future.