As I interviewed Ms. Simpson, the chorus teacher and the musical director, I became aware of the hard work and amount of time that went into planning this show. Due to corona, the musical has been pushed back to June 4 and 5, and is planning to go on as per usually, but with many restraints. For one, the show must be outside; not only does this mean that it will happen during the day, but it also means that there is a rain day scheduled. Secondly, music rehearsals will happen over zoom, meaning that this show will take a ton of effort from the cast to practice the music solely online. Thirdly, the audience will be limited, viewers will arrive in pods and will stay six feet apart from other groups. This musical will be extremely different from other shows, not due to its location of being outside instead of the auditorium, but the cast will be masked. 

The musical this year is called the 25th Annual Putnam Valley Spelling Bee; in which the plot remains in the title: a spelling bee. Ms. Simpson picked this show specifically because it allowed for social distancing among the cast members. The musical, being a spelling bee, will allow each member to come up to the podium individually to play their role. The show will also be set in this time period of covid-19; as each member goes up to the podium, they will put on hand sanitizer and be masked. 

Even though this musical will have many restrictions and will be different than shows in the past, the work that has gone into planning this musical is inspiring. This musical proves that even though we may face many difficulties, there is always a way to make what seems impossible, possible. Good luck to the cast, crew, and pit in this show!!