The show must go on

After three nearly flawless performances, the cast and crew of "Cinderella" were energized heading into the second week of shows at the Barrow-Civic Theatre.

Then Friday morning, roughly 12 hours before the curtain was to open of week two, musical director, Almi Clerkin was awakened by Lord Pinkleton yelling to her from another room...  “I have COVID.”

Lord Pinkleton is a character in "Cinderella" who happened to be played by her husband.

Not something a wife wants to hear from her husband. Not something a director wants to hear from a cast member.
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Beyond concern for her husband’s well-being, she also had to worry about a cast and crew of over 50 folks. Not to mention the financial well-being of the theatre that depends on these shows to keep its doors open. Though cancelling one show wouldn't shutter their doors, they can’t really afford to lose ticket sales.
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“I met with the leadership right away to begin devising a plan,” Clerkin said.

Even in the early morning hours, her mind was already at work on how they could shift some lines and solos, and determine what they could do without interrupting the plot. 

Multiple plans were swirling around in her brain.

To view and purchase additional photos from the show, visit: https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p715987680

An early thought was could the show be postponed a week? Phone calls determined the costume rental and the show’s contract would allow it, but what about the cast? Vacations - some of the cast wouldn’t be able to attend performances if they were delayed a week.

So she shifted back to how can they make it work without a cast member.

The Lord Pinkleton character was seldom on stage by himself, so others could pick up lines and songs, and one scene could be played in such a way that a fill-in could read the lines off a script on a clipboard.

In stepped the guy who perhaps was the most nervous about the prospect of having to cancel the show - Barrow-Civic executive director Zachary Covington.

During the course of Friday's discussions about production needs, Covington thought he might be helping in the orchestra pit, but then he was requested elsewhere. "I nearly choked," he said was his reaction to the suggestion that he play Lord Pinkleton.

Covington is comfortable as a singer and a teacher and prefers behind the scenes work. But he knew there were a lot of people expecting the performance and agreed to take on the role. “I’ve done enough shows in the past that I thought I could pull it off,” Covington said. “... I crammed. I had three hours.”
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In that time, he had to meet with the costumer for alterations, rehearse blocking with key players and learn lines, so he was not overly dependent on the script on a clipboard his character could use to make his  announcements. “It was kind of like an episode of the Twilight Zone,” he said. “My goal was to not screw anyone else up. They all worked so hard for weeks and I just wanted them to be able to have their moment.”

Covington, who as been the executive director of the theatre since 2015, is not a stranger to the show. He was musical director when the Barrow-Civic hosted performances in 2002. So he knew the importance of the show to the cast and to the Barrow. “It would’ve been a very expensive hit for the theatre,” he said.

Now they had a possible plan, but they still had to be sure everyone in the cast was ok with the new developments.
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Fortunately the cast had not been together since the prior Sunday, so exposure wasn’t as much of a concern. Each cast member, stage crew and musician was informed of the situation and asked offered accommodations or the right to decline participation.

​One cast member wore a mask on stage and a few in the pit either did not play or used precautions such as masks and face shields. “We put up plexiglass partitions,” Clerkin said. Crew and cast were also asked to wear masks whenever behind the scenes. 

A brief announcement prior to the show let the audience know of the unforeseen changes.

At 7:30 p.m., the curtains opened and the show went off without a hitch. Covington handled many of the Lord Pinkleton parts with fellow actors stepping in at designated times for certain lines and songs. 

“We were very lucky to have people step up,” said Clerkin, who noted that small theater productions oftentimes don’t have understudies or a lot of “pool talent” to cover key roles.

Ryan Carter, who played Sebastian, took over a key song and many in the ensemble took on additional lines to pull it off. “Everybody really stepped up,” Clerkin said.

That was Friday. They still had two more shows.

Saturday brought with in its own set of obstacles. 

Additional adjustments had to be made among the pit musicians.

One of the ensemble members wasn’t feeling well and elected to step out for the good of himself and others.

This left a gap in the show's grand dance numbers. ​

Clerkin, who was also the choreographer, elected to step into that role herself.

​“I don’t think I’ve ever had two actors and (so many) pit members have to (drop out last minute) before,” Clerkin said. 

For the second day in a row she had to ask cast members to arrive on set early to adapt portions of the show and keep things moving forward.

​“They really put in extra time and were so professional. They are just so good,” she said.

The professionalism extended to the off stage production team as well. 

​“Maria Koman is just amazing,” Clerkin said. Koman was the costume director who altered Covington and Clerkin’s outfits which had been previously altered for the original actors. Unfortunately, she couldn’t alter Clerkin’s shoes.

“I fell on Sunday,” Clerkin admitted. “I looked like I was wearing clown shoes.” During both Saturday and Sunday's performances, Clerkin wore her husband’s shoes that were two sizes too big. “It was all good, not too many people (in the audience) saw. It was fun. I got to do the waltz,” she said laughing about the overall last-minute acting experience.

Both Covington and Clerkin said that this is what community theater is, though both admitted this was perhaps a little more extreme. Big metropolitan theater companies pay actor and have understudies. “We rely on volunteers (who love theater),” Covington said. “Safety was priority. I appreciate the people who made it happen. I felt it worked out.”
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It may not have been the ideal way to put on a production, but they got through it and entertained a near capcity crowd on the final day.

Overall, the show exceeded expectations with the show with ticket sales, according to Covington. 

“(Zach and I) stepped in, but it is the cast and orchestra who are the real stars,” Clerkin said. “I feel so tacky saying the show must go on… but…”

To view and purchase photos from the show, visit: https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p715987680