While sports have found a way to continue despite COVID-19, performing arts have been a different story. While BCHS would normally have held several community performances of its one act play by now, competition was postponed until next year by the GHSA.
Challenges include social distancing, face covering requirements in many places, make plays difficult for both directors and casts as well as audiences. On the Cochran campus of Middle Georgia State University, the theatre department will present a play which highlights the current circumstances.
MGA Theatre Cochran will present “The Distance Between Us,” November 4 and 5. The idea came from adjunct theater instructor Dr. John Iverson. The script Is based upon interviews conducted with students who will perform in the play.
It’s based upon “verbatim theatre,” the topic of Iverson’s doctoral dissertation. Six students will read the dialogue. They’ll stand on opposite ends of the stage, taking turns while performing their lines.
“This play is about our lives and the events that have shaped us into the people we are today,” said Carrie Gilbert, a freshman from Cochran. “Each scene focuses on different people and different topics. Our lines are our own words, and we are each representing ourselves on the stage.”
Another local student involved is Ben Pettis, a social work major. He said people have told him he’s led an interesting life and hopes that will be reflected in the play.
“The play gives students the chance to tell some of their life stories and the reasons that led to them coming back to school during the pandemic,” Pettis said. “Each scene juxtaposes sometimes vastly different stories and personalities in ways that create a sense of connection, even with all the literal and metaphorical distance.”
Performances will be at 6:30 pm each night in Russell Auditorium. Admission is free but attendance will be limited. Social distancing and face coverings will be mandatory.
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