Mercedes Blankenship

Originally scheduled to go up at the end of April 2020, this show was one of many, many productions that was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of my last memories of my in-person college experience was our last rehearsal before spring break — I was splitting my focus between building pieces of IKEA furniture for the set and watching the cast do a run-through of Act 1, then I got to sit down with everyone for the read-through of Act 2. Obviously, I have the benefit of hindsight now, but I distinctly remember having this feeling during that rehearsal that it was a really special experience. 

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We didn't want to let the production disappear entirely, though. The director, stage manager, cast, and I convened and decided to put up a classic Zoom production for our friends and family to watch. I volunteered to read stage directions, because I love the ones in this play. We recorded the show in one sitting, I used my free trial of Final Cut Pro to edit the show together, and then I put it up as a private YouTube video and told people to message me their email addresses so that I could share the link with them. There's definitely something about resilience and perseverance in that story, but I also think there's something about necessity, or even just the feeling of wanting the things you do to matter. I'm still unpacking the experience all these years later, and that makes me all the more thankful to have had it.