The Future of Musical Theatre

The theatre department at Carter High School recently announced that their typical fall musical has been moved to the spring semester. Mr. Webb, the choir and musical theatre director at Carter, shocked many students and local theatre enthusiasts when the traditional autumn performance was switched to spring in hopes that COVID-19 changes would be revoked by that time. The anticipated spring musical will be a performance of Into the Woods. When asked about the changes and future of musical theatre, Webb stated, “I wanted to give students a better chance of having a performance, especially for our incredible senior class, in regards to restrictions with COVID-19.” Webb also shared that he hopes masks will be gone by spring, but if not, he may consider “oversized character masks that could fit over the entire face” in hopes to prevent the spread of the virus. Last year, the theatre department put on the production of Grease. Webb double-casted the show, with two actors per lead character. Kylee Condra, who played beloved Sandy in one of the casts, said, “I think musical theatre being in spring is the best idea.” She is sad that she and her cast mates have to wait to put on their show, but excited to end her senior year with a bang. Condra plans to audition for the Witch in their upcoming production of Into the Woods. Students are threatened that they may not be allowed to go to school in-person in spring, which also means they may not have a musical. Although the future of musical theatre this year is uncertain, Webb and all actors and crew are hopeful and ecstatic to put on their show if they are able to.