Night of Hope: The Show Must Go On is the first-ever virtual production of the theater department at Nashville’s Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School.
“We typically do a full-out Broadway musical in the fall, and that wasn’t possible this year due to COVID. We had to pivot in some way, and bring entertainment to the folks,” said Daron Bruce, theater teacher and arts department chair at the school.
Hume-Fogg’s theater department traditionally produces two major shows each year; under Bruce’s direction it has produced more than 40 shows, including Mamma Mia!, Rent, Hairspray and Cabaret.
For Night of Hope: The Show Must Go On, some students recorded their segments at home; others performed on the school’s stage. “All of these performers have worked tirelessly on getting this together. The show must go on,” Bruce said.
“This stage has been here for over 100 years, so it has a connection of performers that are far beyond just us. It’s a long line of people. So this stage is really powerful,” said Megan Christensen, one of the student performers.
“We’ve got a lot of great numbers in store for you,” Bruce said. “Our big finale is a zoom type number in which all of our students are recording their parts at home. Those will appear on screen together for an uplifting performance.”
Night of Hope: The Show Must Go On is available on the Hume-Fogg theater department’s YouTube channel.