January 20, 2021

Fourth year education students at Medicine Hat College (MHC) took their talents to the virtual stage last week with their presentation of the musical, The Show Must Go Online.

The performance, which was hosted live on Jan. 15, 2021, features a frazzled drama teacher who expresses dismay when their show, Brushes with Greatness: The Dental Hygiene Musical, is cancelled. To change the outcome, and ensure the drama program also remains viable, the students decide to host the performance online.

This musical was part of a class assignment where the students were given two weeks to organize, practice, promote and perform a show created for children.

The performance demonstrates not only the talent and dedication of the cohort, but also their tenacity and spirit to achieve results regardless of the circumstances.

According to Kendra-Lynn Tripp, student and co-director, this assignment taught her how to adapt to various situations and gave her peers the opportunity to bring happiness to the community.

“This is a good opportunity to show the community that there are still ways we can do the things we love, we just learn how to adapt to new situations. We’ve learned about time management, it’s given us confidence and strengthened our communication skills.”

Education instructor, Colleen Whidden, was amazed by the resiliency of her students to build a vibrant and supportive community through this medium, and was proud of them for stepping outside of their comfort zones to grow their leadership skills.

“They carved out a place in their homes to sing, play instruments, listen, and move to music all the while sharing and smiling in support of their colleague’s learning,” says Whidden. “For several, they were experiencing music performance for the first time. As future educators, this will be a vital skill as they face circumstances just beyond their reach. My hopes is they will reflect and remember they can tackle and achieve anything.”

The students have recorded their performance and made it available online. The show, which is written by Jessica Penzias, lyrics by David Hudson and music from Denver Casado, can be viewed here.

Interested in the education program? Visit www.mhc.ab.ca.

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Watch our students perform The Show Must Go Online