The pandemic has molded and changed the way many things are done and that includes writing and directing a high school play.
Jefferson High School drama teacher Mike Hesford has written a play that would allow for cast members to be quarantined — if needed — without disrupting the rest of the production.
He took the idea of separate vignette scenes from the play, “Almost, Maine,” and created a collection of 10 — all with just two to three people, except one with four.
That way, if someone got sick, the scene could simply be cut, but the play could continue, said Hesford.
“Days You Can Use,” the first on-stage, in-person production at JHS since the pandemic hit a year ago, is April 29-30 at 7:30 p.m. Because of the pandemic, tickets are limited and Hesford asks that those wanting to attend call 225-3317. The play will also be recorded and posted on the school’s website.
While most of the scenes were written by Hesford, two seniors, Hope Dobyns and Rebecca Nelson, also wrote two scenes.
The play is set in 1994, and while there was internet and cell phones, no one really had them, said Hesford.
It’s about how people communicated before the onset of email, text messages, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter, said Hesford.
“It’s largely a comedy,” said Hesford, adding that there is one scene that is a “bummer,” but the rest are funny.
The bummer scene was thrown in there to disrupt the audience, said Hesford.
“I’m always thinking of the audience,” he said.
The one scene with four people is set at dinner time, where a mom, dad, and the two children are trying to have a meal when the phone rings. The conflict arises over how the boy manages to talk to a girl when his family is nearby eating dinner.
Other scenes are set at 7-Eleven, at a video store and on a school bus. In all, the cast includes 23 students.
Because the play is set in the early 1990s, Hesford put his costume team on researching the clothing worn at the time and various props, such as a Polaroid camera, a video store and the 7-Eleven Slurpee, said Hesford.
“It’s been a little tricky,” said Hesford of the clothing. For example, “hoodies” were not popular then as they are now.
It was more of the Grunge look, he said of the fashion trend that featured a good deal of plaid flannel and combat boots.
The play is set in two acts, and because it is designed as small cast separate scenes, Hesford is unsure of the length, but is aiming for 75 minutes.
Hesford said that after the events over the past year, he thought, “We needed to laugh.”
Last year’s spring performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” was canceled due to COVID, and a Christmas play was performed on the radio for the same reason. This one will be in front of a live audience — and his students are ready.
“These guys are pretty stoked,” he said.
