Browning’s Middle School Theater Program: On The Radio
Original radio play replaces Shakespeare in pandemic year.
June 2021
Last winter, the Middle School Shakespeare production, a beloved Browning tradition, suffered the same fate as most other school activities when the pandemic brought everything to a grinding halt. We were forced to cancel Twelfth Night, leaving everyone involved terribly sad. Additionally, as the director, I had to consider the strong likelihood that in the 2020-21 school year, we would continue to be required to maintain social distancing standards and consequently would not be able to stage a play in person.
I briefly pondered the feasibility of doing some sort of live performance over Zoom. However, I learned from research and from talking to colleagues at other schools that this option was fraught with inevitable and significant technical challenges. I thought the boys would be better served and have more fun if we were to do something that embraced the restrictions under which we would be working. Thus, the idea of a radio play occurred to me. Taking video out of the equation and allowing for the possibility of a recorded performance seemed like a win-win situation.
But could I track down good material—something well-written that would engage the boys’ interest enough to get them excited about working in this somewhat old-fashioned format? After searching high and low and not finding anything that I thought would really interest them, I decided to try and develop some material myself. I already had the germ of an idea that would eventually become The Quantum Boys and I was enticed by the ability to produce something that was a custom fit for a Middle School all-boys cast. Knowing how many students like to get involved in the annual Shakespeare productions, I was also thrilled at the prospect of being able to create something that could accommodate a large number of actors. One of the fun ways I was able to achieve this was to not only have a big cast for the play itself, but to include some “old-timey” commercials, which, in addition to inviting the participation of more actors, brought talented musicians and composers on board.
Due to the constraints of COVID, the 2021 Middle School play was online, and was inspired, in part, by old-time radio shows like "The Green Hornet," including an emcee who guides the proceedings, as well as a few commercial interruptions from “sponsors.”
Most everything about this project was a departure from what the boys were familiar with from previous years. The auditions and rehearsals were conducted over Zoom. The rehearsals sometimes involved only some of the actors present in any particular scene. At other times, there was only one actor at a given rehearsal and I would read the other roles. The latter scenario, while not ideal, actually proved to be good preparation for their final performances. Because of health and safety protocols, we couldn’t have multiple boys huddled together around a microphone in our recording room. Instead, they had to come in one at a time and record all of their lines individually, with me again reading the other roles so that they would be able to play their parts actively. Each and every one of them embraced this circumstance with an enthusiastic, open mind. They conducted themselves with a truly impressive amount of professionalism and performed with uninhibited artistic expression. I couldn’t have been more proud of the work they did. They made The Quantum Boys come alive and shine.
The cast were made up of boys in Grades 5-8, who recorded their lines separately due to pandemic restrictions.
Drama teacher Adam Giordano goes over lines with an actor before he records on the mic.
