Amid Pandemic, Raritan HS Drama Club Prevails With Outdoor Play

HAZLET, NJ - The ancient Greeks took their theatrical performances outdoors during times of plague, According to Raritan High School drama teacher Melanie Taylor. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, these Raritan High School students are doing the same.

When faced with the cancellation of the anticipated spring musical “Mamma Mia!”, Taylor reports that students were “understandably heartbroken.” But as the 2020 school year approached and the chances of a traditional theatrical experience grew slimmer, Taylor contacted the Hazlet school's administration with a creative solution:

“We were in July and August and I thought we’re definitely not going to be able to do a fall play. For some of our kids who are not necessarily singers, the fall play is it. It’s what they do, especially for kids who want to go on to college for theater, not necessarily musical theatre. This is their chance to shine,” Taylor told Patch.

“People had plans to stream a show online, but I didn’t want to do that. I said, ‘I just don’t think that’s going to work, and there’s just nothing like an in-person theatrical experience.' Then I started thinking about Greek theater. What happened during the plague? They went outside. What a great idea would it be to go outside!”

With the full support of Hazlet Public Schools administration, Taylor sought after the perfect drama to teleport Raritan High School to ancient Athens. The result was “Myth Adventures: Five Greek Classics,” a one-act Greek play that featured nine student-actors in togas and facemasks alike. In fact, the director even ordered different traditional masks painted a different color based on each Greek myth the actors performed.

“I had them change the color of their face masks so at least we’d be able to play into the whole dynamic of where the characters were coming from, and then over the top, I bought full Greek comedy and tragedy masks in gold,” Taylor said.

A traditional wooden stage was built in the senior parking lot of the high school, complete with an elevated rear. The educator reports that the show was staged in a socially-distant manner to ensure that the nine student-actors performing never had physical contact and always maintained a six-foot separation.

“I wanted to go back to the basic roots of theater: let’s teach the kids how to tap back into the beginning when it was outdoors. So we made a wooden stage ... the administration was so supportive and they loved the idea. From the principal to the art supervisor to the superintendent, across the board they were on fire for us," Taylor said.

All nine actors, 14 crew members and three production staffers adhered to guidelines provided by Gov. Murphy as well as rules established by the Actor’s Equity Association, including outdoor-only rehearsals with face masks. Taylor says students were able to layer warmer clothes under togas due to the colder weather - a challenge that posed a threat to the troupe’s final product.

While the Raritan Rockets did cancel the opening night performance due to chilly temperatures and heavy wind, a slew of successful performances were completed from Nov. 19 to 21. An audience of around 50 community members attended each night, all abiding by pandemic protocol using a reservation system, digital Playbills and socially-distanced seating.

All in all, Taylor calls this year’s fall drama a complete, if not memorable, success.

“I could not tell you how many people supported us, between our district, superintendent’s office, central office, everybody was so for us and our custodial staff, they were just there every step of the way,” Taylor said.

“We’re very lucky. I’ve been with Raritan for 23 years and they’ve always been incredibly supportive of the arts. They were so supportive of the program and the students.”