Play draws large audience

Cedar Grove-Belgium High School’s spring play reached a larger audience online than it ever has in person.

The play was one of the rare extracurricular activities that could be done after Gov. Tony Evers closed schools from mid-March through the end of the year due to Covid-19.

Directors Dave Claerbaut and Mary Beth Desens found a script that could be rehearsed via video conferencing. Students rehearsed and performed “Bad Auditions... On Camera” via Zoom.

The hour-long play was available on YouTube for about 48 hours in late May. It received 693 hits.

Plays usually draw about 500 people between Friday and Saturday night performances.

Putting the play online allowed people who couldn’t attend in person to watch, including family and friends from across the country.

Claerbaut said the 693 hits may have represented a huge audience. While that number alone is higher than the in-person draw, each hit could have counted for several people. Entire families may have been watching, bringing the total into the thousands.