This production was truly a labour of love.
It all started with a conversation between the Drama teacher and an education assistant. It seemed a foregone conclusion that there could be no shows this year, and we lamented the impact this pandemic was having on our students and on the arts.

 

Then we decided to reframe the issue. Why couldn't we do a show? Art is about coming together; about growing, healing and creating. Art is about overcoming, and with this renewed spirit, a vision began to form.

We gave up our prime date in December at the Gas Station Arts Centre when it became clear that a live show wouldn't be possible at that time, and we rebooked for May with hope in our hearts. As the year wore on, even a date in May seemed unlikely at an indoor venue, so we switched our focus to finding an outdoor space. Covid had other plans for us however, and public health orders prevented even an outdoor live show. Our next plan involved setting a stage in our own gymnasium to film the production, but logistics prevented that as well. With time working against us, we devised a plan to shoot the play in our own theatre here at Oak Park.

Believing that things were finally settled, we were set to being filming over the course of four days starting on May 17th, but Covid had one more surprise for us. On Sunday, May 9th, it was announced that schools in Winnipeg would be moving to remote learning on Wednesday, May 12... The odds were continually stacked against us, but Oak Park doesn't back down from a challenge. Following all safety protocols while filming for 12 hours a day for two days, this incredible group of young people pulled it off.

We think it is important for people to understand the sheer amount of hard work, dedication, stamina and resilience required of (and delivered by!) our students to complete this project. The teamwork they displayed was typical of the performing arts family at Oak Park, but was inspiring nonetheless. This project could not have happened without collaboration between the Dramatic Arts, Film Company, Visual Arts and Dance programs. This production would not have been released without the editing assistance of Rowan. Please be sure to watch to the end to see the list of our cast and crew of amazing individuals.

 

We thank the administration and staff of Ecole secondaire Oak Park High School for their support, and we thank you, our audience.