In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic halted almost all in-person activities in MCPS. Luckily, many activities were able to continue virtually, such as sports, which shifted from virtual to in-person towards the end of the school year. Professional sports teams were also able to have in-person seasons, although some sports like Major League Baseball decided to have shortened seasons. But unlike sports, theater—which relies on in-person audiences and cast-built dynamics—suffered greatly.
Many schools continued their theater programs virtually by performing on Zoom, but it did not feel the same for anyone involved.
“I definitely like in-person [theater] is better because virtually, when you don’t get to have sidebar conversations with people, it’s harder to make connections,” Quince Orchard High School Theater President Ela Green said.
Making social connections virtually was not the only obstacle. Many people in the professional theater industry, who were only able to hold limited, if any, virtual performances, were terrified of losing their jobs or being furloughed.
“Aside from rich singers that can afford to make music in their homes, in small studios, the entire arts industry was affected,” Quince Orchard junior Noah Mayfield said. “My parents were furloughed for a very long time and couldn’t get unemployment since so many people were trying to.”
Both of Mayfield’s parents work in the theater industry at the Kennedy Center: his mother is the manager of the Washington National Opera, and his stepfather is the manager of data systems and analysis. Sadly, Mayfield’s parents’ experiences were not uncommon for employees at the Kennedy Center and in other theater-related jobs. Many in the industry lived paycheck to paycheck during the pandemic, and could not sustain themselves. This led to many of them being forced to quit the jobs that they loved for a more stable one, and selling their homes to buy smaller, more affordable ones.
“My mom was telling me that when she got back, a lot of her coworkers had moved away when everything shut down, and stopped working for the Kennedy Center,” Mayfield said.
“Those performers, artists, people working backstage, people playing instruments, the ushers, the house staff and everyone involved in productions hadn’t worked in almost two years at that point, and it had really affected the industry. People were worried for their lives,” Quince Orchard Theater’s Vice President of Publicity Hayden Polsky said. When it was announced that the Broadway and national touring industries were returning to in-person shows, he said, “I was so happy to hear that their livelihoods were coming back and they were going to be able to sustain themselves again.”
While Broadway officially reopened in September and shows have run consistently since, it is now uncertain whether they can continue. Just a week before Christmas Eve, The Christmas Spectacular starring the Radio City Rockettes announced that they would suspend performances for the rest of the season due to an increase in COVID-19 cases. Since then, a dozen more Broadway shows, including The Lion King, Aladdin, Hamilton, American Utopia, Hadestown, Six, Tina, Come From Away and more have canceled shows, with most expected to return either on or after Dec. 26.
Although students and staff are hopeful, there is uncertainty around MCPS theater programs, as the county recently announced that schools where 5% or more of students and faculty have COVID will be reviewed to see if they should shut down for a 14-day period.
There seems to be one common lesson from all of the uncertainty surrounding theater: do not take it for granted. “I’ve always been appreciative of theater, but I think I’m even more appreciative of it now that I’ve experienced what life is like without it,” Polsky said. “I don’t think that we’re going to take theater for granted anymore. I think that we’re going to appreciate every show we go to a little bit more, and we’re going to appreciate everyone working on the shows more.”
Written by Hailey Baker of Quince Orchard High School
“Theatre Seating” by DeaPeaJay is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0