OTHS thespian organization pivots from COVID, set to present ‘The Addams Family’
“Define normal.”
That’s a line that the character Grandma Addams delivers in “The Addams Family Quarantined: A Dramatic Concert Version,” which the O’Fallon Township High School theater department is producing Friday, April 23, through Sunday, April 25, in a live stream, but it typifies the past year in coronavirus pandemic times, said director Eve Knipp.
“Is that even possible in today’s world? We all have had to adjust to a version of ‘normal’ for the time being. But what is normal? Not life, for sure. So, the Addams Family fits right in. Yet the story we are wanting to tell is all about love,” Knipp wrote in the program notes.
“We cannot get through this life without it. Love for our family, for our neighbors, for the employees we see every day in various roles, the love for our art, for our theatre, and the love we have for each other. We have bonded in a way working on this show that we so desperately needed. We became a family in the most unusual way,” she stated.
After the public health crisis put live theatre on hold, the OTHS thespian organization learned how to pivot. The 2020 cast of the musical comedy “The Addams Family” was two weeks away from opening their show when the state shut down. They had sold 400 tickets and offered refunds.
“We thought we could do it towards the end of the school year, and then maybe the summer. We held out hope. The kids had spent hours in rehearsal,” she said.
But the pandemic raged on, forcing plans to be scrapped.
“It was devastating for the kids. They had worked since February (2020) on it,” Knipp said.
Fast forward to now. A 90-minute rendition that is only one act, has fewer songs and a script rewritten by book writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elise — updated with pandemic jokes — will be performed by a mask-wearing, socially distanced cast of 27.
Even though students have been through a difficult year, they have flourished on stage and behind the scenes, Knipp said.
And they have maintained COVID-19 safety protocols throughout the process.
Theatrical Rights Worldwide, the licensing agent, has been outstanding to work with, Knipp said. This pandemic version keeps the tango in — but socially distanced, of course, so it plays for laughs. Halli Pattison is the choreographer.
“It’s a completely different show. Our licensing company was gracious with us and allowed us to simply transfer to the Quarantine Concert Version. It worked great!” she said.
Knipp had researched the junior version but preferred this narrative.
“We are able to tell the story we needed to tell, just shortened with no intermission,” Knipp said. “We want to bring the audience the best show possible.”
It hasn’t been without challenges.
The band could not play in the pit, but they transferred to a multi-purpose room after school, and under the direction of Melissa Gustafson-Hinds — aka “Dr. G” — recorded the score. The chorus director is Jodi Jones.
The musicians and actors are using specially designed masks from the Broadway Relief Fund that allow for more room, to better play and sing. There is a wire that allows the students to form-fit it to their face.
They also salvaged some of last year’s efforts and have the costumes and sets designed by Terry Pattison, a former art teacher known for her innovative work.
She created glow-in-the-dark trees that move.
“When I saw those, I thought ‘Of course she did,’” Knipp said.
Hand-painted portraits
Greg Churchill, who has helped on countless OTHS sets, hand-painted family portraits on canvas last year, using photos of last year’s cast. Those were then interpreted into the characters.
“I cannot even imagine the hours it took to create each one. The images had already been painted. Our set designers work so very hard to make each set we use authentic,” she said.
Using those this year gives them a ghost presence on the walls, she noted.
This has been a long process, but the cast and crew are eager to share this comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family.
“These are such great people. So many of them say this is their home away from home, they can grow and be themselves, be who they are — it’s their safe zone,” Knipp said.
“The kids have worked so hard, and they are enjoying their work. They are taking it very seriously that they have an opportunity to perform. It’s just so exciting. I hope the community will support the kids,” she said.
Rehearsal process with a twist
Typically, during the rehearsal process, she will have some students who don’t show up for a few rehearsals or perhaps the performer isn’t as engaged in the work. Not this year, Knipp said.
“You can just tell how engaged they are. They desperately want to be in this space together. They have craved it so much. They have loved being here and they have built a family,” she said.
Anyone who was in last year’s cast was given the chance to reprise their roles, and Marcus Hopkins, as a stilt-wearing butler Lurch, Reilly Bickel as little brother Pugsley and Abby Hunn as Wednesday Addams all wanted to return. Some students came back in the ensemble, and they also had the option to re-audition for other roles.
The plot concerns Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, who has fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man, Lucas Beineke, played by senior Grant Risse.
The parents have not met each other, so Mal and Alice Beineke, played by Alex Dunn and Julia Grissom, are invited to dinner by Gomez and Morticia Addams (Holden Mast and Trinity Whitesides). Add Grandma (McKenna Bates) and Uncle Fester (Cortland English), and wackiness ensues on this fateful night.
About ‘The Addams Family’
“The Addams Family” has been a part of pop culture since artist Charles Addams drew his satiric cartoons beginning in 1938. This odd aristocratic wealthy family that delighted in the macabre is credited with sparking the goth subculture.
While they might be spooky, they are actually a close-knit extended family. A TV comedy ran from 1964 to 1966, and although short-lived, was fondly remembered. The distinctive characters returned in two popular films in 1991 and 1993 and have been seen in animated TV shows and movies. The Broadway musical, with songs by Andrew Lippa, opened in 2010.
Students are an integral part of this production’s success.
The videographer is Nathan Valentine, a junior who works with the Panther Beat, the school in-house broadcast. Knipp said they were permitted use of their camera equipment.
How to watch the show
Tickets for the livestream close one hour before showtime. The show must be watched in real time. Families can gather to watch it — no matter where they are located — as long as they tune in at Central Standard Time, but if one wants to watch it on another device, that requires a separate ticket.
A limited amount of family and friends have been allowed to purchase seats in the Milburn Auditorium. But this option is not available to the public.
“The house seats 740. We are going to have 75 a night. I think that gives the kids a better vibe,” Knipp said.
Knipp praises those who assisted, special pizza
Knipp is grateful for so much support in and out of the school. Jenn Bickel takes care of the playbill and advertising, and has done promotions, photos and visuals.
“I could not have done any of this without her. The countless hours of work she has invested in this department is overwhelming,” Knipp said.
Corey Flament has been a huge supporter of the program and has created an Uncle Fester Pizza that customers can order online during the show run, from his Flamentco’s The Place, she said.
Bickel said the Uncle Fester Pizza is Britt’s buffalo sauce, crispy chicken, bacon and mozzarella. Visit the website to order: https://ofallon.flamentcopizza.com/.
If people want to play a call on “The Addams Family,” go to oths.booktix.com (no www.) to purchase tickets for the livestream performances.
For more information, send an email to: othsthespians@gmail.com.
The 411 on the show
Available on livestream:
- 7 p.m. Friday, April 23
- 7 p.m. Saturday, April 24
- 3 p.m. Sunday, April 25
Tickets available at oths.booktix.com
This story was originally published April 20, 2021 at 2:05 PM.