Niskayuna Drama Club Presents: The Lost Boy

by Jesse Levine

As we all know, the pandemic has not been kind to the performing arts. However, despite the difficulties of following COVID-19 regulations, the NHS Drama Club brought theater back to our community. This year’s spring play The Lost Boy by Ronald Gabriel Paollio took the audience on an adventure through Neverland, highlighting the life of author J.M. Barrie while incorporating the characters everyone knows and loves.

For many in the cast, this was their first live performance in over a year. Most were shocked that a live audience was even allowed, as other local schools had to film their performances over zoom or in person for prerecorded showings. Although the amount of audience members was limited, cast and crew members alike were grateful to perform for their parents, teachers, and fellow classmates.

The process of putting the show together began in early March, when auditions occurred and a cast list was released. At the time, Drama Club was not approved to meet in person, so the auditions and many of the early rehearsals took place over Google Meet. A week or two later, the club was allowed to use the Little Theater to rehearse. Club presidents Daniel Watson and Caroline Skrebutenas, both seniors, were awaiting approval to use the large auditorium so that a larger crowd could be accommodated with proper social distancing. Most of the rehearsals took place in the Little Theater, and it was not until mere weeks before opening night that Drama Club was allowed in the large auditorium.

When that Drama Club took over the large auditorium, no crew members were on board besides assistant director Kaitlyn Pack. Crew members were added to the mix rather quickly, as many jumped at the opportunity to participate in one of the first school-sanction in-person club activities. The crew learned set movements, lights, and props all in the two weeks before the show. On top of that, art students were recruited to help out making set pieces right before the show, such as a fake gravestone and a large poster on canvas. It was evident that these behind-the-scenes students went above and beyond to make the production possible, even with such a limited time frame to work with.

As for cast members, they were focused on projecting through masks and working on proper diction. The masks muted their sound and made it difficult to enunciate clearly, so actors had to play many projection games and tongue twisters to make sure they could be heard and understood. It was a challenge, but the desire to perform live after so long outweighed the embarrassment of screaming something onstage. There were no personal microphones to use as a safety precaution for COVID-19, which made sound even more difficult. There were microphones set at the edge of the stage, however it was reiterated that microphones do not increase sound, they simply move it around. Projection was still a key hurdle that actors faced before performances.

After just under two months of preparation, opening night came on Friday April 29th. Things went as smoothly as planned, with minimal mishaps. Audience members were able to greet the actors and crew members outside the theater to congratulate everyone on a successful performance during such a strange time. Like any show, closing night came and went. The Niskayuna Drama Club announced the future student directors, Kaitlyn Pack and Mathena Rush.

The future of Drama Club at Niskayuna is unknown currently. Will herd immunity from vaccines be enough for another live performance in the future? Students and factually alike are unaware. If there’s one thing that COVID-19 has taught the theatre community, it is how to adapt and find other ways for this art form to live on. If a high school drama club could find a way to create live performances at this time, future possibilities for theatre everywhere are endless.