What more could we need during these trying times other than a rock musical about naked mole rats? This fall at Colorado Mesa University (CMU), the theatre department will kick off its 2020 season with their performance of “Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience.”
This story is based on the children’s book by Mo Willems. It follows the naked mole rat named Wilbur who discovers a love for clothing and introduces his society to clothes. It’s a story about acceptance and going against the status quo. Amidst COVID-19, this show has come up with numerous innovative ways to keep both the actors and the audience safe during the rehearsal and performance process.
“I think it’s adapted in a really great way. I think the changes that have been made, make it so that we can still perform and we can still be safe, and we can still have people here enjoying shows, which I think is really cool,” Junior Ryan Heinsheimer, who plays Venti in the show, said.
For starters, the actors have been wearing specialized singer’s masks. These are duck billed masks that allow for the voice to not get muffled. A lot of acting depends on facial expressions. Lead actor Murphy Baker, playing Wilbur in the production, expressed the hurdles they faced acting with masks on.
“I think it’s harder than a lot of us expected. I mean, just even doing sort of media stuff for this show. I hope I don’t come off as looking angry or disinterested. We now have to worry about the resting mask face as my professor Jeremy, who’s also the director of this show, has kindly told me,” Baker said. “Even if I am super interested, I still don’t look it. Eyes are everything now. And in this show we might be wearing welding goggles, which then takes the eyes [away] so it’s a lot of voice inflection now.”
Senior Brandon Sutorius also recounted the usual labor-intensive process that goes into a theatre performance with the additives of COVID-19.
“It’s like running a marathon, with a mask over your face. And that it’s just a little harder, but hopefully when the show comes in we’re ideally mask-less,” Sutorius said.
Another way they’ve adapted the show is to have the actors socially distanced on the stage.
“For this show it’s not super necessary to be always super close to each other and you can still have the jokes still work. Even when you’re distanced. And when you’re on or if you think about a rock stage and all the performances on a rock stage, they are often distanced from one another. So I think it still works,” Sophomore Margaret Brophy said.
The theatre department has also given the prospective audience two different ways to view the performance. Viewers have the option to see it socially distanced in person or view it through a link to a streamed performance.
“It allows for my friends and [family] back home to see it without having to drive all the way out here,” Brophy said.
“I think it’s great that they’re allowing the option for people that either aren’t ready to kind of delve back into these big group gatherings even though they are distanced [and] CDC approved,” Baker said. “So I think it’s a fantastic thing that we’re adapting with the times and making sure that our content is available for everybody who wants to see it in the community.”
“Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience” is an enjoyable show for both children and adults. The show will be running Sept. 17 through Sept. 26, 2020. Tickets can be purchased online for both the live and streamed performance.
