Theatre Xavier Generates COVID Resistant Strategy  

and Creates Fall Performance Pandemic Style  

While the pandemic has closed or delayed the production of most high school theater performances, Theatre Xavier (TX) at St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati) is moving forward with an adaptation of the original 1938 radio broadcast War of the Worlds- pandemic style.  

TX directors Elizabeth Harris and Nathan Gabriel felt an obligation to provide students with a theater experience.  

“Working on location to make a film is an excellent pedagogical experience for those who want to learn acting,” explained Gabriel. “Filming a production gives our students the opportunity to perform, but to do it in a safe and responsible way.”  

The result- TX will be filming their production at a variety of locations and the final film will be shown in the theater just like a guest would enjoy a movie. TX’s production of War of the Worlds is set in modern-day pandemic America allowing for crowd scenes to be filmed with face coverings. The actors and production crew will be working at different times and using extreme social distancing. Many rehearsals have been taking place via Zoom.  

“Doing a variety of location shots and engaging actors and our production teams in a variety of ways is very pedagogical,” explained Gabriel. “Filming a theater production gives our students the opportunity to perform, but to do it in a safe and responsible way.”  

Tickets for the TX production of War of the Worlds will be available two weeks before the production’s opening date of November 6 at stxavier.org. 

https://www.stxavier.org/finearts/tx