The introduction of COVID-19 this year has interrupted the conventional plans of many Ward Melville High School activities this year, such as the School Musical. Ward Melville has always managed to put on a spectacular performance for the people of Three Village Central School District, but the impact of COVID-19 in the world has created some potential conflicts.

The musical is usually put on around December and has been moved to March because of the crowd restrictions put into place as of right now. Not only will this interfere with the setback of most school sports by NYSPHSAA, but because the musical’s production has been extended almost 4 months, students will be busy balancing the show with their academics and social lives.

Nonetheless, musical director Linda Contino has hope for this year’s show, and believes that the impact of COVID-19 won’t get in the way of putting on a performance to remember. She said, “The show will always be spectacular due to the spectacular talent of the students that we have, so I have no doubts that it will be fabulous, even with the mounting challenges like figuring out how to perform and rehearse in a safe way, as well as having an audience in a safe way.”

I have no doubts that it will be fabulous, even with the mounting challenges

This year’s musical is Anastasia, a historical look at what happened to Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov. With two new friends and a Soviet official on their heels, the amnesiac orphan attempts to prove her identity to the only remaining Romanov, Dowager Empress Marie. With a cast of around 50 students, rehearsals will start as soon as possible so that the show gets into the best shape it could possibly be in.

The true trouble, however, lies in the endgame of the musical. With crowds limited to about 50 people in New York, how will this year’s show be performed when the time comes?

Certain individuals think that there will be more performances of the play so that social distancing can be allowed in Ward Melville’s auditorium. Others think that a recorded version of the production will be available to the public so that large crowds won’t be needed. Either way, the students and staff working on this musical will manage to perform it one way or another.