Back and Better Than Ever By Luciana Morales Encinas

John Champe’s very own Avalon Theatre Company is set to present Pride & Prejudice as the 2021 Fall Play. Coming back from a pandemic, many are excited to see what the company has to offer.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected everyone around the world, one way or another. The Avalon Theatre Company had to go virtual. Performing virtual was not an easy task. There’s lag time and the chance of disconnection, or mics and cameras that are simply not working. The company was able to overcome all of this, and now they’re back to performing on stage, better than ever. 

“This year is more normal than it has been in the last 18 months,” Nichole Cabaniss, John Champe’s Theatre Teacher said. “We’re actually allowed to be near each other this time, so it’s been a lot easier. It feels more like 2019’s season, though there is still a lot of uncertainty because things can change all the time.”

The audition process for plays is long and stressful for everyone involved. Actors are focused on performing their best to get the role they want, and the Director has to find that perfect fit, the perfect person to fit the role. 

“We start planning the fall shows in April,” said Cabaniss. “So we’ve been working towards this [play] since that point.”

An important part of this process is Tech. Tech takes care of anything and everything behind the scenes. It’s not just lighting and sounds. Make-up? Tech. Props? Tech. Costumes? Tech! Their important role is what makes plays as special and magical as they are. The multiple teams backstage work hard, creating a close-knit family inside and outside of school.

“We actually spend a lot of time together inside and outside of school,” senior Rei Liquori said, when asked what’s something many might not know about in Tech. “The different teams have their own traditions and get togethers and we pass those traditions down to the new techies!”

Tech and the actors work hard to create the plays they present. Everyone has an important role in ensuring that the play runs smoothly. If one of them hiccups, everyone hiccups. This type of responsibility requires practice after practice after practice.

“Before a show, we do special warm ups we only do before a show, spirit buddies, senior dedications (when the seniors give out roses and [dedicate] the show to people who they think deserve it),” senior Jesse White said. “and individual actors will do whatever they need to before the show.”

This play will certainly be different from others. After a year and a half of virtual learning and quarantining, this little piece of normalcy is something everyone needs. Pride and Prejudice’s show dates are November 18th, 19th, and 20th. Make sure to support The Avalon Theatre Company!

“It’s the first time everyone has been truly back at school after a year off, and everyone is back to join the play, actors and techs alike,” senior Marina Fontani said, “It’s going to be big and worth the watch. We all need that sense of normal again and I think this is the way to get it.”