Kafka Production Goes Virtual

2/5/2021

Keeping in line with its title, the production of “Kafka’s Metamorphosis” by the School’s Theatre Production Ensemble has undergone many changes. In spite of it all, the group’s digital staging premieres today, Friday, February 5.

With performers on four different continents, logistics became one of the biggest challenges. “This was a crazy production since we started with hopes that the pandemic was easing and we might be able to be back together to capture the final performance with us all in the room,” explained Meg O’ Connor, the upper school theater teacher.

O’Connor selected the famed Kafka work for its story of alienation and the stress that comes with putting on a show during a pandemic. “It seemed like the exact right story for this moment,” she said. “The strange, disjointed world of a salesman who wakes up in bed to find himself transformed into a colossal vermin seemed to fit for the strange, disjointed process of putting everything together.”

Kira Ratan ’22, who plays the role of Spirit, is grateful for O’Connor’s perseverance and had fun despite the obstacles. “We all worked hard, and even though it had to be done almost entirely on Zoom, it was such a great experience,” she said. “I think the most rewarding thing to know is that we actually finished it and put the whole show together through it all.”

The Masters community can enjoy free performances of “Kafka’s Metamorphosis” through Sunday, February 7. The event can be streamed at https://mastersmainstage.anywhereseat.com by using the code MASTERSDOPA.