Recap of HTC’s Virtual Season

By Aidan Kaliner

11th grade

After a year of overcoming the obstacles of virtual theater, the Harriton Theater Company closed the “curtain” for the last time this past April. Starting in September, the future of HTC was uncertain. No one knew how the season would play out, and with hopes of live, in-person shows diminishing, the company had to quickly re-route their plans. With auditions beginning in September, the first HTC show of the year, Our Town, kicked off virtually. The company had to adjust to the learning curve of acting and incorporating technical departments all on Zoom. Come November, the cast creatively built the town and community of Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire, all from the comfort of their own homes. With one virtual show under their belt, HTC began the annual Winter One-Act Festival, an opportunity for seniors to try out the directorial role, quickly after the fall show’s last performance. With shows ranging from Controlling Interest to Anywhere But Here, starring HTC’s first LGBTQ+ leading characters, the festival was a must-see. Eager to come back into school and hopefully return to some sort of normalcy, HTC’s final show of the season, Working, was pre-filmed and live-streamed to audiences with the help of HHS-TV last month. The filming process was completely foreign to the majority of the company as the entire live aspect of theater was abandoned for a pre-recorded movie-musical. Actors and all other department members were finally allowed to rejoice their accomplishments at a watch party on Working’s closing night stream. 

Now, it is time to plan the next magical season! With a large part of the company graduating and struggles to recruit new and dedicated members over Zoom, the company is left with a complicated task for next year: outreach and rebuilding. The upcoming group of department heads is ready to take on the challenge while simultaneously upholding HTC’s mission of inspiring great performances and harnessing the passion for the arts at Harriton. The new heads are fabulous, experienced, and dedicated to the company. 

So without further ado, meet the heads!

Alanna Norwood ‘23 - Head of Stage Management

Addy Morgenstern ‘24 - Head of Student Directing

Aiden Kaliner ‘22 - Head of Publicity and Cappies Lead Critic

Julie Wright ‘22 - Head of Publicity

Ava Marcus ‘23 - Head of Publicity and Choreography

Anjali Rooney ‘22 - Head of Choreography

Nel Blinman ‘22 - Head of Props

Alice Deutsch ‘23 - Head of Props

Marlena Marg Bracken ‘23 - Head of Props

Sophie Baskin ‘22 - Head of Stage Crew

Adam Gilbert ‘23 - Head of Lights

Tommy McShane ‘22 - Head of Costumes

Tess McCullough ‘22 - Head of Costumes

Julia Hoeffner ‘22 - Head of Costumes

Gage Klaumenzer ‘22 - Head of Sound

Ally Fenton ‘23 - Head of Sound

Dylan Cantor ‘23 - Head of Pit Orchestra

If you are interested in joining the company for the upcoming season or want to stay informed of our performances, follow us on Instagram (@harritontheater) to stay up to date, email harritontheater@gmail.com or visit harritontheater.com to sign up for the mailing list and to learn more!