With ETHS online, the ETHS Theatre Club is putting on its first-ever virtual Freshman/Sophomore play called Stranded: Views From Quarantine, in October. 

Stranded: Views From Quarantine consists of 21 monologues written by various playwrights from Stage Partners. Stage Partners was founded in 2015 by Jason Pizzarello and Morgan Gould, who create plays for young artists to perform. The play features stories of passengers and crew members that are confined on a cruise ship at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. 

The co-director, Edward Gray explains why he and Monica Lani, his co-director, picked out this particular show. 

“When we choose shows, we try to choose something relevant or something that our students can attach to more easily than something from the 1700s,” Gray says. “Obviously, quarantine is quite relevant, so that was another reason we chose this play. [Plus], it’s funny.” 

Various playwrights from Stage Partners created Stranded: Views From Quarantine in response to the school theater environment changing from in-person to online. Every monologue is recited from passengers of a cruise ship in quarantine. Through some funny and some serious, heart-wrenching stories, we see how every character has to navigate a new way of living due to the pandemic. 

Artists have been impacted during the pandemic, so Lani chose this play to honor the artists that collaborated to write the play. 

“It’s very cool, because this was created by a group of different artists in different spaces, and they all submitted to put together this play that could then be used by artists who were struggling during quarantine,” she explains. 

Lani and Gray will rehearse with the students over Zoom, and then the directors will have students use the comfort of their own homes to film their monologues. Each recording will be edited together into a movie and will be streamed out to an audience. 

Lani feels that there is an important viewers should take away from the play. 

“No two individuals’ experiences have been the same during this crazy time that we’re living. But what is universally true is that it has impacted each of us. It has changed our lives, our dynamics with our friends and loved ones, and it’s been difficult” Lani explains.“Because we are all impacted by COVID-19, it has brought everyone together through the shared adversity.” 

Both Lani and Gray are urging people to watch the play to support the students that are working hard despite the circumstances. 

“That’s the point of these crazy times, it’s to support each other,” Lani says. 

Stranded: Views From Quarantine will be streamed from Oct. 22nd to Oct. 24th. The fine arts dept. is still determining where the play can be watched. Gray assumes that the play will be available to watch on the ETHS YouTube channel, or through a link on the ETHS Theatre website.