Last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Matilda the Musical was canceled after months of work. This school year, the Gibson Southern Theater Department is set to perform the show in the second semester

“I think a lot of us in the program are anxious to see what will happen once the rehearsal process begins,” sophomore Jake Decker said.

Matilda the Musical auditions were held on Monday, November 23, and were split into two groups: new students joining the show and students who would like to be considered for a new part. Because Vaudeville was not able to happen this year, the word about auditions couldn’t be spread like it normally is this time in the school year. ITS members spread the word about auditions coming soon by giving out the Google Classroom information and using social media platforms to reach out to students who were interested.

There are some changes set in place for the safety of students and teachers. Before auditioning, students had to fill out a survey. The survey is to check the health of each participant and for contract tracing.

“We will have to definitely be following all of the guidelines and making sure everyone is safe and healthy,” senior Lizzy Mast said.

One thing that has changed from last year’s audition process was the amount of students auditions. Last year, a total of 117 students auditioned for the musical, which is not close to how many students auditioned this year. 

“Usually auditions take a whole evening lasting 2 or 3 days,” Bledsoe said, “This year we did it all in one night.”

Many people decided to stick with their role and a few decided to reaudition. Students who were a part of the show last year signed a list saying that they were interested in staying and performing. Since Matilda the Musical was canceled before the school year was over, Bledsoe asked graduates if they would like to return and perform the show. Even though many graduates have moved away to continue their education, local graduates decided to take advantage of this opportunity to finish what they started. Bledsoe provided a flexible schedule to the ones who were interested in joining back and performing. As said before, Vaudeville plays a huge role in recruiting, but also in funding.