Lights, Camera, COVID-19!
By Kendra Martinez, Staff Writer
One of the biggest questions asked at the beginning of this school year was: What’s going to happen to theater? Well, it’s safe to say that the theater program hasn’t gone anywhere, and with a couple modifications, they have safely been able to continue with production of the fall play. Due to the circumstances, the comedy She Kills Monsters Virtual Realms will be significantly different from past performances. Instead of watching the stage, the audience will be watching a screen. The Samo theater director, Kate Barraza, and the theater students have been filming the play.
With the increase in COVID-19 cases, Barraza is making sure to take the necessary precautions while filming. Everyone has to wear their masks and are socially distancing. They are planning to film at three locations: Samo’s amphitheater, the beach and the backyard of a house in Encino. The cast filmed at the Greeks on Saturday, Nov. 14 and they filmed at the beach on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Barraza said she would like to bring in students into the Humanities Center to film more shots on a green screen if the severity of COVID-19 does not worsen. This would take place Monday through Friday after school and only four students would go in at a time.
Double casting is one of the many changes this year. There will be two casts performing in the play. The casts are almost entirely different except for one person, Endure Barnett (’22) who plays Farrah the Faerie in both casts.
“Honestly I was a little disheartened when I was cast as Farrah because I felt like I was always typecast as a stingy, overbearing, and or wicked person,” Barnett said. After receiving encouraging words from Barraza, she decided to give into playing the role.
If they are shooting at one of the locations, both casts will film on the same day, but at different times, so the contact between people is limited.
The play is about two sisters, one dead and one alive, getting to know each other through a game of Dungeons and Dragons. It incorporates some important themes like homophobia and bullying that help send powerful messages to the audience. Although, we all know that staying focused on a screen for a long period of time has shown to be nearly impossible. This is why it is a very valid concern that audiences might not stay engaged for the duration of the play. Barraza is hoping that the high quality of the film will help the audience stay invested. The special effects that can be edited in is also a plus and will make the play more visually appealing. That is definitely an added bonus in the unique manner this play is being shot. Since a large portion of the play takes place within a Dungeons and Dragons game, the special effects will add more character to the play.
While it is a very difficult time and the production is all different, Barraza sees this as a learning opportunity. She now has the chance to teach film acting to students rather than the usual stage acting. With the double casting, there are now twice the number of students benefiting from this learning experience. This is important because there are more jobs in the film industry, especially since we live in LA. The students can really benefit from this situation.
Aside from learning another form of acting, theater students have also been able to diversify their skills in film. Some are taking this opportunity to learn more about the digital aspects of the industry.
“When the lockdown first happened I thought my career would come to a halt, but because of my skills in certain digital formats such as audio engineering and video editing, I’ve gained a lot of experience and career opportunities both inside and outside of school,” Alex Homami (’21), who plays dungeon master Chuck Biggs in one of the two casts, said.
Although there have been many changes to the play, Homami says the cast is persevering through it and they are still holding the strong loving spirit they’ve always had. Eve Davidson (’22), who plays the freshman and demonic cheerleader Evil Tina in one of the casts, said the cast had a lot of fun during the filming and they were all able to keep it professional. She also believes this experience has allowed for a stronger bond within the cast.
“Who else is going to be able to say they still put on their school play during a pandemic? It’s a weird thing that this group will be bonded by and something we’ll never really experience again,” Davidson said.
All the filming is all set to be complete by Dec. 11 and the finishing touches will be made over winter break. The play should be available by mid-January.