The show must go on for mask-wearing Burrell drama students

Exemplifying that the show must go on, the Burrell High School Drama Club is taking it a step higher, donning theatrical, hand-painted masks for the upcoming play, “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”

While the actors will be performing live on stage, the district will present the play virtually for three shows on Dec. 10, 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased starting Dec. 1 on a Burrell School District website link.

Martin Connolly, Burrell’s musical director and drama coach, chose the play, “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” with animal characters in mind instead of people, who would have to be in character wearing a mask for a pandemic-safe production.

“If you put people in masks, it makes more sense to make them not be playing humans,” Connolly said.

With hand-painted animal masks, which will blend in with the actors’ makeup and costumes, the presence of masks won’t be so obvious.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” by Roald Dahl, who also wrote “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” is story about a wily fox that helps protect his animal friends from some wicked farmers.

Connolly worked with students to adapt Dahl’s story for the Burrell stage.

“He is a brilliant writer and beloved children’s author,” he said. “When I thought of a play with animals, I immediately went to him.”

So, Connolly tasked a student who had been painting theater production backdrops for the last two years to hand-paint the faces of foxes, an opossum, a weasel and more animals on cotton masks.

“I didn’t want to do anything that wasn’t going to look good,” Connolly said. “And I knew that I had a student who was capable to paint at a high level.”

Creating animal masks for a cast of 20, Trianna Armstrong, 17, a senior from Lower Burrell, has been busy.

“It’s definitely challenging making the masks because they are small and they move around a lot,” she said. “But I do enjoy it, and it’s something different to do.”

The actors, however, might have a greater challenge projecting emotion wearing the masks, she said. But all are happy to be doing the play, Armstrong added.

“This is my last year and I’m happy to be part of a play and to be helping out,” she said.

Connolly decided to offer the play virtually because he can. With a background in video production for the district and the students’ ability to stream live video, a play can be broadcast from the Burrell School District facilities.

He didn’t want to see the students or the Burrell community miss out on a show during the pandemic.

“For the drama club to lose a year is not only heartbreaking for the kids,” he said, “it is a draining time for everyone.”

Rehearsals have been covid safe and have been going on for about a month.

One student who tested positive for the coronavirus is in quarantine and is expected to return to the production.

That case was not traced back to the rehearsals and there have been no other issues, Connolly said.