Saints Drama to Perform One-Act Play April 9-10

Saints Drama will perform “One Stoplight Town” this weekend, April 9 and 10 at 7 pm. While the play will be performed in person with social distancing, audience members are invited to watch it livestreamed. Saint Raphael Academy is one of only a handful of schools in the state to perform theater live during the pandemic.

The Saint Raphael Academy Drama program normally prepares for the regional drama conference at this time of year, which is canceled due to COVID for the second year in a row. Rather than take that lying down, Saints Drama will forge ahead and perform its second drama selection this school year, successfully entertaining audiences in the face of COVID restrictions.

The play was written by Tracey Wells specifically for school drama programs to perform while social distancing. The play encompasses several stories about the residents of a single town and gives the audience a glimpse of just a few moments of their lives, with “the theme that change comes for us all, whether we are ready or not,” according to the play synopsis.

Saints led the way in the winter with their fully virtual production of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” in January. Student actors practiced and recorded their parts from home, which were then compiled into the final recorded production. It was a great success, according to Saints drama director Moira Caraher ’97, and a way for the students to connect by doing what they love. Still, there was something missing in not having the interaction among the actors that allows them to bring out their best skills. With “One Stoplight Town,” students have been reading their lines together, both outside and inside while social distancing, bringing some of that camaraderie back.

“One Stoplight Town” will be livestreamed from the Coutu Theater on April 9 and 10 at 7 pm. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online.

The Rhode Island Theatre Education Association, which annually coordinates the Rhode Island High School Drama Festival, is developing details for a virtual festival for schools to submit their theater work. Additionally, a virtual New England Drama Festival is planned, in lieu of an in-person event. Saints Drama program is a 24-time winner of the New England Drama Festival.