The Chapel Hill High School theater program presented its first post-lockdown, in-person show last month, an adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.
Drama director Thomas Drago’s production offered audience members an immersive experience, allowing attendees to follow the characters around as they maneuvered through the school’s hallways.
Drago conceived the idea last spring, as he contemplated how to make drama productions Covid-safe.
“When we were making our plan, we wanted to come up with an idea where we could keep the audience sizes small and keep them mobile so that they weren’t in the same area for an extended time,” Drago said.
The immersive format of the production meant that the audience members had to stay on their feet, and, because space was limited by the presence of both attendees and cast members, a maximum of 15 tickets were sold per show.
In an email to students and faculty, Drago listed the requirements for attending one of the play’s live performances.
“All guests must wear masks, be able to climb stairs and stay on their feet for an extended time,” Drago wrote.
Junior Amelia Brinson, who played The Spirit of Christmas Present, said that the production presented an entirely new experience to both her and her castmates.
“Audience members getting to walk through the show as it went on was a really unique idea. I don’t think I have personally been a part of [this idea] or that anyone else I know has been a part of [this idea] before,” Brinson said.
There were, of course, challenges that came with this innovative style of theatre.
“The lines between where the stage is, where backstage is and where the audience goes all get blurred, so you have to kind of make sure that everybody is comfortable with moving in and around the environment in a unique way,” Drago said.
The production involved over 50 students, drawing from the school’s drama, chorus and orchestra programs.
“The thing I enjoyed the most about the show was being able to perform in front of a live audience again after a year and a half of not being able to do that,” Brinson said.
Drago expressed satisfaction with how the production turned out.
“I’m extremely happy. I think it’s one of the most creative products that we’ve ever given to an audience. It is certainly very clever and creative, and it turned out exactly how I envisioned,” he said, “Even with the masks, which we thought would be a challenge, we were able to find clear ones.”
An online recording of the production will be available soon for $5 on the Hanes Theatre website.
