In a unique project, two Mission CISD middle schools have come together to put on a collaborative virtual play that will be livestreamed to the public on YouTube Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22.
Rafael Cantu Jr. High School’s Cavalier Theatre and the Mission Junior High School Jesters will be performing "A Virtual Whodunnit" by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus. Typically, a whodunnit is a story or play about a murder in which the identity of the murderer is not revealed until the end. Students from both theatre programs have been rehearsing for the production since March.
Cantu Junior High’s Vanessa Ramos, who is co-directing the play with Mission Junior High’s Silvia Vera Huesca, says she hopes this production will offer students an artistic outlet alongside their classmates who share the same passion.
“This is the first opportunity that many of our students will have to participate in a public performance in more than a year,” she said. “Working with these actors has been so fun and I am very proud of all the effort that they have committed to this project. We will not let the setbacks of this pandemic keep us from doing what we love.”
The play, which was designed to be rehearsed and performed online, is also interactive. When every suspect has motive and opportunity, it’s up to the characters and audience to find the killer. Eighth grade student Rihanna Rivera says that with several possible endings, she hopes the audience will be fully immersed in the production.
“This play is special because it is so different from what we are used to,” said Rivera, who’s been a part of theatre since her 6th grade year. "This is the first time we have done a virtual play so it's nice to try new things and continue to act even with the challenges we were put through this year. This past year has been hard on all of us and support from our community would be greatly appreciated. We worked hard on this play and we hope you enjoy our performance.”
The production, which will be streamed on YouTube, is free to the public and will be available to watch at 7:00 pm on Friday, May 21 as well as 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM on Saturday, May 22.
“We are true believers that theatre can change lives,” said Vera Huesca. “We have seen that the kids are very happy to be part of this project. We hope you all enjoy the show and stay tuned to all the projects that the wonderful Mission CISD students are working on in all the fine arts departments. We are very proud and thankful to be working with these amazing kids.”
Click here to watch at the time of the performances or visit the Cavalier Theatre Facebook page for more information.
Break a leg, cast and crew!