The theatre company will perform its first production of the year, Clue, a murder mystery based on the board game in November. The non-musical comedy comes after the postponement of the previously scheduled musical Beauty and the Beast that has been rescheduled for May  due to COVID-19. The company will begin putting up posters and selling tickets Oct. 1.

“Originally we [planned to] perform a musical,” theatre director Greta Peterson said. “We had already cast the show and were in the process of choreography when we were shut down.”  

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the production of Beauty and the Beast because some theatre students are attending school virtually. Additionally, the amount of students able to perform on stage is limited due to social distancing requirements. 

 “We have actors and actresses that cannot attend class so we must make sure everyone is on the same page with rehearsals,” Peterson said. “We are also limited on the amount of students on stage without masks! I try to have only 10 or less in groups.”

Despite this, students are optimistic about the upcoming production and about being able to perform in front of a live audience.

“I think it’s going to be fun,” “Colonel Mustard” actor Cole Wheeler said. “There’s a lot of twists and turns. It’s really exciting and there’s a bunch of characters. I’d say I’m pretty excited for it, because there’s a lot we can do with it. It’s (theatre) changed a lot. Acting is so much about physicality; it’s so much about connections, both physically and emotionally. COVID has definitely affected that, but we’re working around it. We’re finding ways to socially distance and ways to wear masks when we can. It’s definitely different, but I think things are going to work out pretty good.”

Ticket prices will vary depending on where audience members want to sit. For example, there will be some seats on stage in one of the “specialized rooms,” which will cost more than a ticket in the “ballroom.” 

“Tickets will go fast since we have limited seating,” Peterson said in an email. “There will be no limitations on [who can buy] tickets, and we will be giving no free passes this year to anyone because of the limitations of our [number of] tickets.When thinking of audiences, we have decided to limit our ticket sales.  We will be selling no more than 150 tickets. Everyone will be socially distanced and will need to wear a mask until they are seated.”

Ticket sales have been reduced and limited in an effort to more easily ensure patrons practice social distancing and still allow the students to perform in front of an audience. Additional precautions will also be taken to ensure the safety of the actors as well.

“Actors sit apart from each other in rehearsal and wear masks,” Peterson said. “Groups are limited to no more than 10 on stage. We temperature check each student at rehearsal. Everyone has their own water bottle.”