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  • 1.  Masks on stage ?

    Posted 03-15-2021 05:39
    For those of you who are in person and able to be working on a production ... how are you handling (or planning to handle) mask mandates?  What masks have you found to work well on stage ? Or have you found a way to not have to mask your actors ? I'm in northern Michigan and our show is the end of April ... when I picked the dates last fall I honestly thought the masking would be done by now.

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    Toni Thomas
    English Teacher, Theatre Director
    Ogemaw Heights High School
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  • 2.  RE: Masks on stage ?

    Posted 03-15-2021 09:12

    The recent thread below addresses a lot of this. Every region is just a bit different. We are in the Metro Detroit Area. We have required standard masks up until final dress. Then actors were allowed to use half masks, but only while on stage. Our district approved this. We included this conversation in preproduction with parents and students. The productions we picked and staging, as well as size of cast and crew were all conscious choices with a nod toward a more physical distant production process (as much as reasonably possible).

    ~Dave

    https://www.schooltheatre.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?MessageKey=72fa6a1e-b75f-4db9-bc69-618f8ece5d65&CommunityKey=35d3756e-031c-447e-a020-14aeb57718f1&tab=digestviewer#bm5a563343-c0c5-4d36-8364-9fa54c44a3cd



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    David Simpson
    Performing Arts Center Manager
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Masks on stage ?

    Posted 03-15-2021 12:42
    We've been completely masked up for rehearsal and performances. So far I have done 3 shows, one of which a musical with black masks that have a smooth feel like silk on the outside that are adjustable. (Obviously not silk because they don't breathe) They don't scratch against the mics and I add a silicone bracket under the mask. It makes them louder, keeps the masks up, and keeps the fabric away from the mouth. it's not a great solution, but I've not had a single kid get sick because of play practice or performance. We've been able to perform on time and have slowly been gaining an audience.

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    Krischelle Hansen
    Park City High School
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Masks on stage ?

    Posted 03-16-2021 08:42
    We did Bright Star and were fully masked and distanced.  I let the students pick thier own masks that fit properly and they were comfortable with as long as they were dark neutral colors.  It was important to me for the students to be completely comfortable.  We had no issues with sound and the Nadja gave us a lit of opportunities to focus on communicating emotion with the eyes and physicality since facial expressions were not possible.  I saw a lot of growth in there acting with this.  One side note, it is important to gesture and move when talking... if two characters who had similar voices were on stage c wiyh little movement, audience had trouble telling which was talking at times.  

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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Masks on stage ?

    Posted 03-16-2021 12:09
    We've been masking and social distancing on stage all year including our musical in the fall and improv which both seemed the most challenging in thought but worked just fine in action.  The only time performers in the musical were allowed to take off their masks was if they are a soloist on stage essentially alone/way away from anyone else and even then it was the student's (and their families) choice. Our area would have allowed even less masking than this, but we decided as a troupe to stick to CDC guidelines as much as possible. We selected our show based on knowing we'd be masked and distanced (an admitted advantage) and used floor mics instead of body mics with a lot of downstage staging to ensure all were heard. We bought a variety of masks and tried different ones throughout rehearsal. Most students wore a mask that was provided and went with their costume; however, we allowed them to wear any comfortable and proper fitting mask as long as it was in the color pallet of the show. It ended up being pretty easy to manage and the students took it seriously because we established the seriousness from the get go. Honestly it was more challenging to figure out how to set up backstage so students could be distanced, masked, and if they needed water could do so safely.

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    Kathleen McNulty Mann
    mcnulkl@bay.k12.fl.us

    Program Director & Theatre Teacher
    J.R. Arnold High School
    Thespian Troupe 6371
    Panama City Beach, FL
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    Original Message


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