Weyburn students take annual musical online

Weyburn schools puts on virtual musical WATCH: A Weyburn school made sure the show went on, moving its musical online. Alison MacKinnon explains.

REGINA — Students and Teacher at Weyburn Comprehensive School wanted to continue their tradition of a spring play, but they had to get creative due to COVID-19 restrictions.

"We had to record all of our songs and all of our lines at home by ourselves and then we would send them in and she put our audio tracks on our acting,” Brittany Barber, a student who plays Belle, said.

Earlier in the school year, students thought they would be able to perform the play Beauty and the Beast Junior while physically distancing. But as the second wave of COVID-19 hit, it became clear that wouldn't be possible.

"In November, our school division decided that we could try some extracurricular activities as long as they were virtual.” Tanya Cameron, the school's musical director said. “I started rehearsing with 35 grades seven to nine students who decided, I'm going to try it.”

After the recordings were done, Cameron was tasked with filming the students.

“They were allowed to come into the computer lab, one student at a time, individually, and I had them stand in front of a green screen with the clear mask on, so that you could still see them. I filmed them from about 12 feet away,” Cameron said.

Acting without your peers and without a set proved to be difficult.

"It was a bit awkward like in a costume with like with no one there. There was no stage, no lights, there's just like a green screen and a giant camera looking at you, it was different," Marcus Isaak, who plays Lumière, said.

After all the clips were filmed, Cameron was tasked with editing the students so that they looked as if they were filmed all together.

“When you watch it they really look like they were filmed together, there's really only a few times where you can tell that they weren't," she said. “Even Belle and the Beast when they dance, I mean, it’s pretty hard to shoot a dance scene when they're not together to dance and it turned out really good.”

A total of 10 shows will be lived streamed throughout April. Tickets are available online with all proceeds going back into the schools musical program.

Weyburn Comprehensive hopes many people will "be their guest" virtually.