The Show Must Go On

By Eliza Krackeler

Shrek opened his eyes on the morning of March 12th, 2020, not knowing that his life in the swamp would never be the same. Kai Farr, a senior at Saratoga Springs High School, was the actor who played the lead role in “Shrek the Musical”. He said, “I woke up the morning of opening night still expecting to perform that evening.”

The sun, which rose in a timely fashion, promised the regularity of a normal day. A normal day that never came. The Saratoga Springs High School Drama Club readied themselves for their first show, still thinking it would go exactly as planned. Farr said, “We had gone through the entire rehearsal process, this was just our time to show it to the community.”

With the coronavirus in the picture and a lock down imminent, the Drama Club performed for an almost empty auditorium. All their hard work in rehearsals had led to disappointment. Katy Hawthorne, a member of the High School Drama Club, said, “Rehearsals usually involve starting with warm ups, stretching, and some sort of conditioning that will leave you sore the next day.” But because of the pandemic, the club was disbanded until further notice in the spring of 2020. 

This was a blow to the group, but the heart of the Drama Club still remained. The community tried to come together in whatever ways they could during the quarantine. Farr edited together clips of cast members singing songs from “Shrek the Musical” to keep the spirit alive. Hawthorne said, “We all kept tabs on each other and became a lot closer while staying far apart.”