For the first time in more than two years, Orillia Secondary School (OSS) students are putting on a play for a live audience.
Members of the high school’s musical theatre production course will perform the Broadway-famous musical, Guys & Dolls, from June 8-11, which students have been preparing for since fall 2021.
Set in 1940s New York City, the production follows gambler Nathan Detroit, who runs an illegal craps game in need of a location. Romance, misfortune, and musical numbers abound as the plot unfolds.
“Guys & Dolls is a classic musical from the Broadway musical canon,” OSS music teacher Laura Christie told OrilliaMatters. “It's fun, it's funny, it's a comedy—we wanted to have something that was light humour, coming out of a pandemic.”
Christie said the pandemic brought “a long drought, especially for artists,” as ever-shifting public health restrictions often prevented students from engaging in dramatic or musical pursuits.
“We're just thrilled,” Christie said of putting on the show. “It's been huge to finally be able to do this for real, after a really long time of not being able to do our art.”
Christie said she was unsure what the production would ultimately look like, given pandemic uncertainties, but that the school decided to move forward and hope for the best.
“When we started rehearsals, we were still in masks; we were still socially distanced,” she said. “We weren't sure if we were going to be allowed to have an audience, when it was time to run the show, (or if) we were going to be performing inside or outside.”
“We just kind of went for it and crossed our fingers that it was going to happen in the end, and luckily, here we are less than two weeks from opening and we are allowed to just do it with no restrictions on an audience.”
The show will mark the school’s first production since 2020, when its showing of High School Musical wrapped up shortly before the first wave of restrictions rolled out.
Part of the reason Guys & Dolls was selected was that it had roles for everyone, Christie said, as it provides opportunities for both music and drama students alike.
“We wanted to make sure everybody had a chance to have something to do in the show, both onstage and behind the scenes,” she said.
Grade 11 students Jack Smith and Madison Emons said they are excited about publicly performing Guys & Dolls, noting that the last time they were able to perform was in the ninth grade.
“We've gotten so used to not being able to do anything,” Emons told OrilliaMatters. “It's really nice to get back into it, especially because we're in Grade 11. The first time that we got to do it was in Grade 9, so it was a while ago. To get back into it, it kind of brings life back to the school and seeing people get excited to come to the musical.”
“Being able to put on (a play) and also perform it to the public is just going to be real fun,” Smith told OrilliaMatters.
Tickets for the musical are available at the OSS main office, at $10 for students and $15 for adults.