Despite the circumstances, the Drama Club is in full swing! Even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Lower Moreland High School Drama club found a way to put on a spring show. This spring show is called “Working,” a musical which primarily focuses on interviews from people with different occupations. This method of storytelling has proven itself to be incredibly adaptable to the pandemic, as the cast is easily able to remain spaced out, and few people are clustered together at the same time. This, however, is not the only way the Lower Moreland High School Drama Club is making adjustments during the pandemic.

“Last year we were devastated at the loss of our performance of Les Miserables in March of 2020.  We were 2 weeks away from our performance when the shutdown happened. This year, we wanted to make sure we got to have a performance no matter what. We had to get creative!” Mrs. Abramson, the Drama Club director, commented. “We decided to film our show this year so people can watch it virtually. This provides a whole new way to view theater. People can get more of a close-up view, as opposed to sitting in a large auditorium far from the stage, and they can do all of this from the safety of their own home.”

“Working” is a musical based on a novel of the same name by writer Studs Terkel. It focuses not only on the occupations of its characters (project managers, hedge fund managers, fast food workers, school teachers, and flight attendants, just to name a few), but also on their feelings about their lives. This high school production features Hayley Warnalis, Kyle Wieczorek, Izzy Magazzeni, Trish McElhaugh, Paris Keegan, Gianna Vona, Sharon Anil, Brenna Alicea, Will Bond, Jaymie Roddy, Naina Devgan, Sean Thomas, Sarah Dorval, Madison Heller, Ellie Lynch, Michael Salamone, Sofia Duffey, and Luke Cullen, among others in leading roles. Its soundtrack was created by songwriters including Lin Manuel-Miranda and James Taylor, and songs typically feature monologues from each character. “The show is a testament to the hopes, dignity, and sense of purpose shared by each one of us,” Mrs. Abramson said.

This year is different in other respects as well. Because the show is virtual, there will be no audience. Luckily, this means that the spring show will be made much more accessible to family members and friends living farther away. The audition and rehearsal processes also changed this year because of the pandemic. Students auditioned virtually, and most rehearsals were initially held over Google Meet. Tech week became a month dedicated to filming each scene, and scenes are currently being edited together by Mr. DeGeorge. Defying the challenges this pandemic has brought, the Lower Moreland High School Drama Club production of “Working” will run from May 13th to May 16th, and it will undoubtedly be a must-see!

Buy tickets here: https://lmhsdramaclub.lmtsd.org/