North Polk Drama and Theater were able to put on an extravagant performance of “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, despite the obstacles they faced prior to and during the making of the production.

The play was originally set to be performed in early May of 2020; however, it was abruptly cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent shutdown on March 15, 2020. Though the play would not be performed in the spring as originally planned, it would not be cancelled altogether. 

“I was really excited to try this play out last spring, and having it cut short like that kind of worried me that we wouldn’t be able to perform again,” said senior Sydney Weers. “Luckily, that was not the case, and we were still able to perform it this year, but it was really scary back in May. I was scared of the unknown.”

With the performance set to play out in the fall, students had to quickly come together to practice their lines and stage blocking.

“To me, the hardest thing about the play was definitely taking into consideration the effects of the pandemic,” Weers said. “There were some things we had to adjust slightly to have it fit with this new day and age, such as masks and social distancing. It took awhile to adjust to these new changes, but as soon as we worked through it, it became easier.”

The cast was divided into their scenes and had their separate practices until Monday, Nov. 2, and Friday, Nov. 6, which were the full cast dress rehearsals.

“For me, the hardest thing I think was not seeing what the play was going to look like until our dress rehearsals,” senior Sophie Vernon said. “It was pretty chaotic, and I wasn’t sure if everything would come together.”

Throughout the practices and dress rehearsals, a few students had to step in and take on roles days before the big show. 

“I felt a little panicked if I’m being completely honest,” Weers said of her time filling in for a role. “It was a pretty major role, and I was worried that I wasn’t going to measure up to the original actress. Luckily for me, I was graciously given a good amount of time beforehand to prepare, and I had wonderful actors helping me settle into the role. I don’t know what I would do without their help.”

Despite the inevitable hardships and obstacles, the cast, crew, and directors were able to put on the performance of a lifetime after waiting for several months to be on stage again.

“I think that this year performing was more rewarding than in the past, because I hadn’t performed for so long,” Vernon said. “I loved hearing everyone’s laughter and how much they enjoyed the play. I think this funny play was exactly what people needed during this hard time.”