The Sound of Music: The show must go on…safely

Neia Dolana Duenas Tagabuel, front, who plays the role of Gretl von Trapp in the Mount Carmel School Theatre Club production of The Sound of Music, rehearses with fellow cast member in the school’s cafeteria, which provides better air ventilation in order to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. The school has taken such precautionary measures to keep students and the community safe and healthy. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Despite setbacks and delays, Mount Carmel School’s Theatre Club is all set to present The Sound of Music on Jan. 26 and 28 after taking additional safety and health precautions.

“We are committed to the health and safety of our students and our community,” said Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero, Northern Marianas College president and director of the show. “Guided by public health officials and the best science available, we are doing what we can to protect everyone.”

To prepare for the show, the Theatre Club implemented additional safety precautions to help prevent and protect against the spread of COVID-19. Per school policy, all cast and crew members were required to provide the school office with proof of vaccination. The club has also secured face shields for all cast members so that they may safely sing and recite lines without the impediment of a face mask. In addition, to ensure adequate air ventilation in a setting that helps prevent the spread of the airborne coronavirus, all large-group rehearsals were relocated to the school’s cafeteria. The club also announced that it will continue to follow and enforce COVID-19 mitigation protocols, including but not limited to, temperature checks, logging for contact tracing purposes, physical distancing, and face masks/shields.

Earning five Tony Awards and five Oscars, The Sound of Music was the final collaboration between the theatrical powerhouse duo, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story is based on the memoir of Maria Augusta Trapp and follows an ebullient postulate who serves as governess to the seven children of the imperious Captain von Trapp, bringing music and joy to the household. But as the forces of Nazism take hold of Austria, Maria and the entire von Trapp family must make a moral decision.

The Sound of Music is the concluding event of the Theatre Club’s celebration of its 25th anniversary. Launched in 1996, the MCS Theatre Club began celebrating last year, commemorating over 50 theatrical and cinematic productions. The club started the celebration in February with the sold-out premiere of the latest entry in its award-winning We Drank Our Tears series, the Stories of Visitacion, Henry, and Dave at American Memorial Park. The club continued the celebration in April with William Shakespeare’s As You Like It and in May with the feature film Zero2Hero, a follow-up to 2011’s cult hit, Zero to Hero. The film was also recently released for free on the school’s YouTube channel.

The Sound of Music, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, as suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp, is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. www.concordtheatricals.com.
The Sound of Music will be presented at Saipan World Resort on Jan. 26 and 28, with doors opening at 6:30pm. Tickets are $25 for front row premium seats, $10 for preferred seating, and $5 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased at the school’s Business Office. To comply with COVID-19 Mitigation Guidelines, tickets are limited and are available only on a first-come, first-served basis.

The production is made possible by support from the CNMI Department of Community and Cultural Affairs and the CNMI Council for Arts and Culture with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, call 234-6184 or visit www.mountcarmelsaipan.com. (PR)