For years, the theater program at Gorham High School (GHS) has put on a musical in the Spring to showcase student dedication and talent in the arts in a truly wonderful way. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 restrictions it wasn’t possible to put on a Spring play this year. Yet, through hard work, an alternative was able to be found.

An all-virtual Musical Theater Production class is being offered to interested students by way of Zoom throughout the Spring.

“Cancelling the Spring Musical was nothing short of heartbreaking,” said Joshua Hurd, the director of past musicals at GHS. “The musical at Gorham High School is a major part of the school year and the community,” he continued.

Hurd teaches most of these classes, alongside host Matthew Murray, chorus director at GHS. The classes are open to anyone, with any kind of musical theater background, just as the musical usually is.

The classes have met once a week and topics have included choosing a script, auditioning, and the importance of opening songs. Upcoming meetings will focus on designing a show with details such as costumes, sets, and props.

On March 3, the class welcomed Brian Clowdus as a guest speaker. Clowdus owns a national production company and has produced musicals all over the country. He was able to share his experiences and knowledge of theater with those that attended the class.

Prior to making the decision to offer the classes, there was still talk about possibly producing a musical. Because Covid-19 guidelines state that everyone must always stand six feet apart, Hurd figured that the perfect musical would be “Sunday in the Park with George,” a show about paintings in which everyone could simply stand still. Talk stopped once they realized that they also couldn’t sing indoors.