Despite logistical challenges, the SHS drama club has found a way to keep entertaining the community during the pandemic. They are currently filming a recorded show called “Raiders do Radio,” a musical based on the 1940s Jack Benny plays that weaves in interludes from popular Broadway musicals. The club will release the show at 6 PM on April 16th and remain available for audiences to stream until April 18th.

While the club would have performed the show Chicago in a covid-free year, it would have been too hard to coordinate online. Although this may seem like a setback at first, the obstacle allowed students to be creative and find an innovative alternative. “We wanted to do a show where we could incorporate a lot of different kinds of songs from all different shows, so having a radio show where we could pick our own music was a great option for that,” explained production officer Taylor Levin ‘23.

Even with all of the social distancing restrictions and mask-wearing, the drama club is grateful for the opportunity to do what they love again. In describing the process of how they were able to make this happen while still following COVID protocols, Levin explained that “for the scenes, we distanced on stage and were able to act together for the first time in so long. For the songs, we pre-recorded the music in advance and lip-synced on stage. And for the dances, we distanced on stage and performed choreography to the music we recorded.”

Still, filming a show during a pandemic is not an easy task. “The hardest part is getting the shot right and then having to re-film if something is a bit off over and over again,” commented drama club member Eliot McClafferty ‘23. In addition to the stress of getting perfect recordings, the club also has shorter time frames to learn and practice things as a group. Although productions will most likely return to in-person shows once things go back to normal, they now have the experience of putting together a pre-recording show, which acts as a convenient backup for the future.

Filming “Raiders Do Radio” has been an overall successful experience for everyone involved. “It’s just so fun to perform, and the cast is insanely talented and funny,” added McClafferty. The drama club put a lot of time and effort into this recording and strongly encourages everyone to watch it!

Save this link to watch the show from 6 PM April 16th-April 18th: https:/rebrand.ly/springmusical.