The Pascack Hills Players would normally gather hand in hand, anxiously awaiting their curtain call before the opening night of their spring musical. However, this year, there will be a lot of changes made not only to these beloved traditions, but to the entire production of the spring musical due to the restrictions put in place by the Covid-19 pandemic. There will be many production differences put in place as the cast of Sister Act excitedly takes the Hills stage later this month. That said, the cast, crew, and production team remain ecstatic to finally share their performance with the Hills community.

Sister Act follows Deloris Van Cartier, an energetic lounge singer who witnesses a murder and is put into witness protection. Deloris hides in a convent, and in an attempt to stay out of trouble, she becomes the nun’s choir director.

Without being able to put on an in-person show this fall, the Pascack Hills Players are looking forward to being able to present Sister Act in both an in-person and virtual format. The show, opening on May 20 and closing on May 23, is going to take place in the Hills amphitheater. While the aspect of live theater is beginning to return to normalcy, there are still many aspects of the rehearsal and production process that had to be modified in order to comply with the Covid-19 guidelines. 

The many traditions of these young actors and crew members must be put on hold this year for the safety of Hills students. There can be no pre-show energy circle and pep-talk, as cast members would not stand socially distant. There can also be no post-show cast parties, as gatherings of that size may put the health of the community at risk. These are two seemingly small, but heart-wrenching losses for the Pascack Hills Players, who are doing their best to adapt to all the changes that need to be made in order to ensure the health and safety of the community.

The production’s assistant director and set designer, Hills senior Valentina Cannao, noted that “much of the production had to be downsized due to our limitations. The set is significantly smaller than I personally would have liked, and [is] a lot less elaborate. That being said, there are still 32 feet of set complete with gargoyles, a stained glass window, and a lot more. But considering the ‘Curtains’ set last year, this is nothing.”

The stage that the performance is taking place on this spring is significantly smaller than the auditorium space, hence the need for these scenic sacrifices. While having a smaller set may not seem to have much of a profound effect on the overall production, this element of the show actually affects everything. A smaller set with socially distanced choreography means smaller movements, fewer people on stage, smaller ensembles, fewer props and scenery pieces, and less blocking. 

Another Covid-19 limitation that has altered the production of Sister Act was the introduction of cohorts into the rehearsal process.

Hills senior Yemie Woo stated that the Sister Act rehearsal process “is very different [than it has been for previous productions]. We only meet every other day within our cohorts and don’t get to rehearse with the other cohort until much closer to the show date.”

This limitation means that the cast is unable to sing together, run scenes together, or collaborate at all until less than a month before the show premieres at Hills.

This has also affected the “family aspect” of the theater program, as there has been almost zero interaction between the students in Cohort A and the students in Cohort B. 

Hills junior Riley Solomon noted this rehearsal process has been “really hard because there are some people in Cohort A that I haven’t even met yet! I am anxiously waiting for the day when [everyone can] come back together so we can really gel as a cast and become a more powerful group on stage.”

While there have been a lot of setbacks to the play’s production due to the pandemic, there have also been some positive aspects of this new normal.

According to Aaron Solomon, Hills junior and one of the Sister Act stage managers, “the pandemic has made set builds more efficient. We’ve had to split up into cohorts and work on different days… and that allowed us to use our diverse skill sets more efficiently.”

This split allows the crew to maximize their skills, having one cohort come in solely for set construction, and another come in to paint and organize. Normally, when the entire crew is together, everyone is working on different aspects of the set and production; making it extremely difficult to get work done. However, with the introduction of cohorts into the stage crew, set builds are focused and much less hectic. 

The Pascack Hills Players are in no way strangers to the difficulty that the pandemic has added into their program, seeing as though they were unable to meet together as a cast at all for their fall show, Facetime Continuum. However, the cast, crew, and production team are greatly looking forward to putting on an amazing performance in the upcoming month. 

Hills junior Rachael Lokshin excitedly remarked that she is “beyond excited to perform in Sister Act! The show itself is hilarious and [she] can’t wait to show the audience all the hard work poured into this show!”