May/June • 2021 • GASPARILLA MAGAZINE A
“In missing the fourth quarter last
year, starting school a month late, and
having to follow reductions in after-school
extracurricular activities, it’s a breath of fresh
air for these kids to be able to do theater.
Our goal has been to give them some kind
of normalcy. We were not willing to give
up on the show we began pre-COVID, and
we were not willing to compromise on the
quality of performances either. We knew we
were going to give these kids something
to look forward to, and I don’t think that we
have disappointed.”
In Lemon Bay High School’s attempt to
provide students with as much normalcy as
possible, teachers and students have had to
be fl exible and creative.
“This year is diffi cult all around,” Watkins-
Yates continued. “The teachers are
exhausted. We are on the front lines. Trying
to get students to do basic schoolwork is a
challenge, but this year it seems so much
harder than in years past. The main complaint
I hear from teachers is how tired we are.”
Arts education teaches students to be
fl exible, creative and to “go with the fl ow.”
These lessons are more important now
than ever before. With the disruptions
and sacrifi ces necessary to participate in
productions, the students have been resilient
and have taken the changes in stride.
“We were fortunate that we got to do
‘Addam’s Family’ as a Halloween show since
we weren’t able to do it last spring. It was
exciting,” said Lauren. “This year we had to
recast a couple of parts and rework it until it
was ready again and then performed it.”
“We did that show for basically a year,”
laughed Reilly, a cast member in the show.
“So we really knew ‘Addam’s Family.’”
Yet, from
time to time,
students
can’t help but
refl ect on the
things they
miss most
about the
pre-pandemic
world. Wise
beyond their
years, students
focus on the
positives and
realize that
without the
hard work of
their teachers,
they would be
missing out on
the activity that
brings their
lives so much
meaning.
“I do miss
being able to be
closer to people
in theater and
not have to be
wearing a mask
constantly,” said
Lauren. “We still
get to interact
with each other
in person and ultimately get to perform
without masks, which is truly incredible.
Without the performing arts, life would be full
of nothingness. It’s kind of hard to imagine,
honestly. It just seems so sad and boring.”
“My favorite thing about theater is the
people because you’re constantly around all
of these people who share the same interests
and have the same passion. Even if they’re
not going in it as a career they still love the
theater and have this adoration for the art
form. It’s just nice to meet and spend time
with these people who like the same things
that you do,” said Sarah, a cast member in the
show.
“All the people are like a second family,
we do everything together and we hang out
outside of the theater,” said Reilly.
“It’s made such a difference to me. It
changed me for the better and helped me
fi nd myself. I met some of the best people
of my life through the performing arts and
I’m excited to continue in the future,” said
Makenzie, a Lemon Bay cast member, and
student.
“My favorite thing about acting and theater,
in general, is playing a character and being
able to portray so many different people
with so many different characteristics and
telling their story. Bringing the audience into
that world, especially now with everything
that’s going on in the world. With all of the
negativity, there’s so much to worry about,
you can take them away from that and place