Brunswick High School students on stage rehearsing for their Footloose musical. While masked during rehearsal, the masks will drop when the curtain rises. Jennie Driscoll photo
After two years of covering their faces due to mask mandates, the Brunswick High School Players will be hosting their first maskless production when “Footloose,” hits the stage.
Performances are set for 7 p.m. March 31 and April 1, and 2 and 7 p.m. April 2 at the school’s Crooker Theater.
“A lot of acting is facial expressions, and when you cannot see somebody’s face, it becomes more difficult to communicate the message that you are trying to deliver to your audience,” said Michael Millett, the producer and set builder for BHS Players. “If you are touching your mask while it is falling down then you become constantly aware that it is there and it will definitely impact your ability to perform. Without a mask, the sky’s the limit.”
Millett said he’s eager for the arts to return to what it used to be pre-pandemic.
“For me, the biggest takeaway from this is that we survived, and I do not say that lightly because I know that a lot of us are still being impacted. However, the arts survived, and we are coming back to where we were, and it will definitely rise to a better place.”
The loosening of mask mandates in Brunswick and elsewhere in Maine comes as COVID cases have dropped steadily in the state and nation, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Since the pandemic began, there have been 233,696 cases and 2,184 Mainers have died. However, the number of Mainers hospitalized due to the virus dipped below 100 for the first time since last August Saturday and has stayed that way as of Monday.
Linda Gardiner, the musical’s director echoed sentiments about the difficulty that the mask mandates posed in theater.
“We had to change a lot during the last two years,” she said. “We could not stand within six feet of each other, we were not allowed to have an audience and the students had to wear masks so I could not see their expressions, and that was very difficult.”
Based on the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, “Footloose” highlights the power of young people to make changes in society from a place where music and dance is forbidden to a place where the performing arts can be liberated.
The lead actors in the musical expressed some of the benefits of performing live without having to worry about the mask obstructing their acting.
“When I am in a scene with Sam and I can see what she is trying to give back to me, I know how to take that and run with it just like you would be able to interpret it in normal life,” said Jaden Nicita, who plays the role of Ren McCormick. “I have also become more aware of what my face does when I am feeling certain things because now, I have to pay attention to those things, and it helps you learn more about yourself and what your body wants to do when you are feeling certain emotions.”
Those interested in attending can get tickets on the school’s website or purchase them at the door. The audience will be required to wear masks during the performances.
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