Bringing today’s current challenges to life onstage, Pierson High School students are making theater more accessible than ever by tapping into 2020’s most relatable phenomenon: quarantine.
On Dec. 17 and 18, Pierson High School students will perform the play “10 Ways to Survive Life in Quarantine” by Don Zolidis. This year’s play takes on the reality of students spending long days at home and social distancing, offering creative ways to stay busy and maintain some semblance of normalcy.
The play in 10 parts offers solutions to boredom like putting on a musical with your dog, becoming an announcer for a made-up sport, and falling in love with an inanimate object.
“It is quite humorous, and the kids are doing a terrific job,” Melissa Luppi, the show’s producer, said in an announcement.
The actors received permission to rehearse three days a week after school. Keeping with the play’s theme and Pierson’s safety guidelines, the troupe wears masks and practices social distancing. Ms. Luppi said the plan is to perform live for “very limited audiences” next week, and to stream the production free via Broadway On Demand on Dec. 21 and 22. Viewers can access the link at sagharborschools.org.
The show is directed by Keith Holden and is co-hosted by Everett McMahon, a junior, and Chad Federico, a freshman, and is stage-managed by Beckham LaRose, also a freshman. Several longtime Pierson theater performers will be featured in the show, including Gaylin Davey, Ryan Brown, Emily Brownstein, and Thomas Schiavoni, who are seniors, and Emily Glass, Lillian McGuire, Aiden Genender, and Ava DiLorenzo, who are juniors.