Creek Theatre - Class of 2023

A Christmas Carol

The first play the Class of 2023 enthralled the Pine Creek community with was "A Christmas Carol" in November 2019!

Mamma Mia

The first musical the Class of 2023 had the opportunity to be a part of was "Mamma Mia" (spring 2020). Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the closest the cast came to a public performance of the show was singing "Super Trouper" in front of a live audience at Pine Creek's Freshmen Are Fantastic night on February 13, 2020. Shortly afterward, restrictive health mandates and public performance could not be reconciled, and despite being only two weeks shy of Opening Night, the cast and crew had to accept the fact that in this case -- the show would not go on.

It's a Wonderful Life

When live performances were officially canceled district-wide in the fall of 2020, this same group re-imaged the possibilities and found an alternative idea to traditional stage performances: recording a radio show!  Students recorded all parts of the "It's a Wonderful Life" radio show virtually; they never met in-person. The parts were then edited together by Director, Michele Messenger, and sound engineer, Dan Cunningham. The only photos from this production are headshots. For students who were interested, headshots were scheduled to be taken outside, one at a time, at a distance of six feet or greater.

The "It's a Wonderful Life," radio show streamed via BroadwayOnDemand December 23rd through December 25th. "I just finished listening, and I just have to say how impressed I am with this production!" one parent commented. "Very well done and a great family activity for Christmas. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard!"

Clue On Stage – High School Edition

Although the Creek Theatre program traditionally performs a play in the fall and a musical in the spring, in the spring of 2021 scientific studies conducted by the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Maryland, and others indicated that singing indoors or in crowded environments significantly increased the likelihood for transmission of COVID-19. As a result the group pivoted from a musical to a play and made plans to perform "Clue On Stage – High School Edition!"

In keeping with state and local health safety guidelines, the cast was split in two groups for rehearsals-- Cast A and Cast B.  Face masks and/or face shields were required to be worn at all times indoors. Getting the show to production involved repurposing the set from Mama Mia, taking it from a Greek courtyard to a mid-century American mansion. "It's amazing what a little paint and wallpaper can do!" Theatre Director, Michele Messenger commented. It also involved creating rehearsal schedules for both groups, completely re-working the rehearsal schedules when mandatory quarantines arose, and working around mandatory cleanings of essential practice spaces such as the Auditorium.

When it came time for the performance, health safety guidelines limited in-door functions to 100 people. To this end, Creek Theatre was able to perform the show live to a handful of small audiences. In order to make the performance accessible to the wider Pine Creek audience, theatre director, Michele Messenger also arranged for a recording of the show to be available via BroadwayOnDemand.

A Return to Regular Production

Due to the gradual rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination in the spring of 2021, the 2021-2022 school year brought a breath of fresh air which included a live performance of "Sense and Sensibility" in the fall of 2021, and a return to spring musicals with "The Sound of Music" in the spring of 2022. Then there was "Puffs, the play" this past fall and "Bye Bye Birdie" this spring.

Thank You, Class of 2023!

Class of 2023 - thank you for not only continuing to carry the torch, but for creatively and passionately lighting the way for yourselves and for others in the area of Performing Arts. Creek Theatre and the Pine Creek community are able to move forward with strength because of your leadership. You will be dearly missed!