'The show must go on' is a common phrase in theatre circles and for the cast and crew of Damascus College's school production The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee it's the truth.
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They just don't know when the show will be.
With lockdown extended, their five-show season which was scheduled for late this week is unlikely to go ahead but once the COVID situation settles down they're determined to hit the stage.
"Our show is ready to go. We were at the point of doing the final dress rehearsals. We will probably just see where the restrictions go and then we will definitely be putting it on at an appropriate time," said performing arts coordinator and musical director Maria Russell.
The school chose The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee as their production this year because it could be put on with a relatively small cast to take in to account COVID restrictions.
"A talented student cast of about 20 performers will bring this story to life, of an eclectic group of six mid-pubescents as they vie, with the support of their quirky families, for the spelling championship of a lifetime," she said.
"While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching experiences from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming 'ding' of the bell that signals a spelling mistake."
Mrs Russell said despite the challenges of COVID, it was important for the production to go ahead.
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"Arts has been so important over the past 12 months. We ended up cancelling our show last year when we were a quarter of the way in to rehearsals.
"For a lot of these kids the production is the highlight of their year. It's more than just putting a mask on and putting drama on stage - you become like a family and it's an outlet for creative expression, for kids to develop their social network, emotional and social learning ... and wellbeing for the kids."
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