Spring Musical “Found”

By Jane Bloodgood

Staff Writer

Mira Costa High School’s drama department presented this year’s spring musical, “Found,” on May 22. Due to the restrictions caused by COVID-19 placed on public gatherings, the cast searched for an alternate way of performing for their audience.

“Found” is a one hour live streamed show, with 17 separate videos from each cast member edited to look as if it would be in person watching the musical live in the auditorium. This kept all members safe and distanced while keeping the magic of the editing looking realistic.

There was a lot of intricate editing and enhancing, small details that went into the production of the musical to make it as amazing as it was. While keeping all cast members safe and socially distanced, the show seemed to come to life through the screen, just as it would have if it had been performed live in the auditorium. 

Throughout “Found,” there were creative effects added into the show, such as smiley faces in empty audience seats, as well as clapping and cheering sounds. These small animations and sound effects added a lot to the show, making the overall experience much more entertaining.

There was one big downfall watching “Found” as a live streamed show, however. With having to watch this show online and on tablets, there were a few minutes lost during the show due to the website shutting down, however the website picked back up after a few short minutes. 

While combining all separate clips together, you could catch some out of sync moments with choreography or timing of music, but overall it was barely noticeable. Having to combine so many clips together is definitely a challenge, but creating the beautiful show they did was definitely an accomplishment. 

The thought and energy put definitely shined through, considering all cast members performed choreographed dances and kept it looking graceful and in sync. In addition, the music had to match up with the singing from the cast, which seems to be extremely difficult.

The digital experience of the musical was definitely different, but it was amazing to see what the cast did with the circumstances. With just the click of a button, the show “Found” was playing on hundreds of devices. While the experience of watching the show inside of the auditorium was missed, it was nice to be able to sit in bed or do some chores while having the show play on your tablet. 

This show was definitely worth watching. “Found” was very impressive and entertaining, and I would recommend any Mira Costa High School drama musicals in the future. Performing a musical digitally leaves lots of room for challenges and technical difficulties, but the show must go on.