The Show Must Go On…Safely: MCS Theatre Club’s “The Sound of Music”
Inspired by the show business adage, “The show must go on,” Mount Carmel School’s Theatre Club recently announced that it is safely proceeding with rehearsals and new performance dates for “The Sound of Music”, which will now be presented on January 26 and 28, 2022.
Originally slated for December 3 and 4, the show had to be postponed due to the recent rise in community transmission of COVID-19, which led to a temporary suspension of extra-curricular activities at the school. In addition to postponing the performances, show director and club adviser, Galvin Deleon Guerrero, also announced that, with the exception of one run-through, rehearsals would be avoided throughout December. As Deleon Guerrero shared with parents of cast and crew members, “We have done this so that we can allow the public health situation to improve, we can avoid conflicting with student exams and important family and community events, and we can give students much needed rest to take care of their mental health.”
In addition, when rehearsals resume, the club will implement additional safety precautions to help prevent and protect against the spread of COVID-19. Per school policy, all cast and crew members must provide the school office with proof of vaccination. The club will also secure face shields for all cast members so that they may safely sing and recite lines without the impediment of a face mask. In addition, to ensure adequate air ventilation in a setting that helps prevent the spread of the airborne coronavirus, all large-group rehearsals will be relocated to the school’s cafeteria. The club also announced that it will continue to follow and enforce COVID-19 mitigation protocols, including but not limited to, temperature checks, logging for contact tracing purposes, physical distancing, and face masks/shields.
In addition to being directed by Galvin Deleon Guerrero, the show will feature live music from Mount Carmel School’s Concert Band conducted by Julian Greening and vocal direction by Jener Pineda and Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero.
Earning five Tony Awards and five Oscars, “The Sound of Music” was the final collaboration between the theatrical powerhouse duo, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story is based on the memoir of Maria Augusta Trapp and follows an ebullient postulate who serves as governess to the seven children of the imperious Captain von Trapp, bringing music and joy to the household. But as the forces of Nazism take hold of Austria, Maria and the entire von Trapp family must make a moral decision.
Launched in 1996, the MCS Theatre Club celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, commemorating over 50 theatrical and cinematic productions, including several Disney musicals, numerous Shakespeare plays, and a number of original productions. The club started this year’s celebration in February with the sold-out premiere of the latest entry in its award-winning “We Drank Our Tears” series, the “Stories of Visitacion, Henry, and Dave” at American Memorial Park. The club continued the celebration in April with William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” and in May with the feature film “Zero2Hero”, a follow-up to 2011’s cult hit, “Zero to Hero”. “The Sound of Music” will conclude the club’s year-long celebration.
“The Sound of Music”, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, as suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp, is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. www.concordtheatricals.com
“The Sound of Music” will be presented at Saipan World Resort on January 26 and 28, 2022, with doors opening at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $25 for front row premium seats, $10 for preferred seating, and $5.00 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased at the school’s Business Office. To comply with COVID-19 Mitigation Guidelines, tickets are limited and are available only on a first-come, first-served basis.
The production is made possible by support from the CNMI Department of Community and Cultural Affairs and the CNMI Council for Arts and Culture with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, call 234-6184 or visit www.mountcarmelsaipan.com.
###
Photo Caption: Mount Carmel School’s Theatre Club recently announced that it is safely proceeding with rehearsals and new performance dates for “The Sound of Music”, which will now be presented on January 26 and 28, 2022. Tickets are available for purchase at the MCS Business Office.