When Stevens started cancelling events in the first week of March, everyone in Stevens Dramatic Society (SDS) hoped and prayed that our production of The Addams Family would be spared. In the week leading up to spring break, we had no word about the fate of our show, so we decided to hold rehearsals as planned until told otherwise. On Monday, we fixed dances and scenes. On Tuesday, we ran through the entire show. On Wednesday, we cleaned up dances and staged the transitions between scenes. On Thursday, we planned to hold a sitzprobe, where the actors rehearse the show with the musicians for the first time. Over spring break, the carpentry/set design team would construct the set, and upon returning from break, we’d start to incorporate props, sound, lights, hair and makeup, and costumes in preparation for our performances from April 2 to April 4.
On Thursday, March 12, the Executive Board finally got the news that we had all been dreading: Stevens was cancelling our show. To say that we were absolutely devastated was an understatement. All the hard work we’d put into this show for months was suddenly for nothing. We’d never get to see what everyone looks like in full hair, makeup, and costume. We’d never get to see the whole set with lights and props. We’d never get to perform our show for an audience. We were supposed to have another month of rehearsals before our opening performance, but now, we only had one last rehearsal and it would be over forever.
We made the decision to change Thursday night’s sitzprobe to one last run-through of the show, and we broke the news out to the cast and crew that this was the end. Although everyone was heartbroken, something really special happened: with about five hours notice, we all came together and did everything in our power to turn our last ever run-through into the best “performance” it could possibly be. The whole cast pulled costume pieces from storage (and their own closets) to match their characters. The Hair and Makeup team came in and did everyone’s makeup. The Carpentry team built last-minute set pieces. The Sound team added the sound effects they’d been working on. Lights were focused and preparations were made to program the show as it was happening. Kiera Kennedy, who played Wednesday Addams, even dyed her hair black! What was supposed to be just another rehearsal turned into the opening and closing night performance of our show for the cast, crew and creative team, culminating in a mix of happiness, sadness, and pride for what we were able to accomplish.
While we continue our spring by staying home and practicing social distancing amid very odd times, what happened on that Thursday night will no doubt hold a special place in our hearts. Everyone involved in the production — from freshman newcomers, to graduating seniors, to our professionals who directed, choreographed, and stage managed the show — expressed how much theatre, and particularly SDS, means to them. Theatre is communal every step of the way, from planning to rehearsals to presentation. Coming together as a community to put on one last “performance” is a powerful reminder of our love and passion for theatre, and how it can give us something to smile about, even in the face of quarantine-induced isolation.
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