Keep S!NG In-Person This Year
The juniors won the last live S!NG on February 8, 2020. Photo: Justin Chow
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By BRIANNA TSAKH
S!NG is a longstanding tradition at Midwood, rooted in our history and culture, but we have recently begun to struggle to maintain it.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, it has become increasingly difficult for us to rehearse and prepare an in-person show. However, a virtual show is not the answer by any means.
S!NG has always been allotted three days a week to rehearse: twice a week after school, plus Saturdays for the art team. It was difficult enough to complete the show under these circumstances, as we were always in a time crunch, especially due to art’s large workload. But this year, one of those three days was shaved off.
We have also not been allowed to use the stage and auditorium as a practice space. We instead work in tight classrooms, leaving art no opportunity but Saturdays to work. Without the stage and the rest of the auditorium space available to us, it is hard to envision how the show would be able to get done in time, even with an extension into March.
At least, this was how we were functioning until December. But with rising Covid cases due to the Omicron variant, we have been forced to resort back to virtual rehearsal. All the students who were excited to have an in-person show again are now losing faith that we will make it, and fear going back to the virtual production of last year.
Virtual was not a hit for anyone. It was a long and tedious process that frustrated all groups. If we continue at this pace and do not resume in-person practices, there will be no time for art to finish any set pieces or flats, nor for all the groups to be able to coordinate themselves on stage.
It is simply unheard of to be able to put together a show of this scale with limited practice time and virtual rehearsals. And making the S!NG performance itself virtual this year would destroy morale.
In order for there to be a show, S!NG needs to continue in-person rehearsal as soon as possible. We need the auditorium, because the large space allows for increased distancing and more freedom to work.
We have been set so far behind schedule by limited practice time and space that we need the normal extra day a week back in order to have a proper show in March.
If Covid concerns are still high in the spring, we suggest that there be a night with a limited audience for just Midwood students and faculty, where we can skip seats and rows for social distancing. In addition, the second night of the show could be limited to just friends and family, again with limited seating.
S!NG is full of passionate students who want the show to continue safely, but if there is no change to the programming, soon there will be no time to produce any show at all. We need to resume in-person practices, three days a week, in the auditorium, and hold a live show, with a limited audience if need be.
It is the only true option for us to be able to continue this tradition and put on an amazing production, the kind we students are all excited to present.