Break a virtual leg, pull up a virtual chair and take it all in

Updates! Updates! I have updates!

I've been waiting to write that for what feels like forever but has actually been closer to "a little more than a month." I don't know about you, but time has lost all meaning for me. Is it Wednesday as I write this? Is it last week, or October? I'm pretty sure it's spring time, judging by the warmer temperatures and greener leaves. Pretty sure.

With the earth and nature waking back up, so too are some tentative signs of reopening appearing. I'll add my voice to the thousands of much more qualified people saying the same, but please, be cautious while you're rejoining the rest of the world. Masks, hand sanitizer, staying in if you're sick: It's all important.

Mike Renick

Cape Girardeau musician Mike Renick, frontman for The Mike Renick Band and solo artist, held an informal music session Friday night on Facebook Live. The session was just him and his children singing together, he said, and it was a fun night.

Renick joins a slew of other musicians who are taking their music online, on Facebook Live, Instagram, and other platforms.

The show must go on ... LINE!

Hevan Leon and mother Tamara Holt started Between the Scenes Studios in Jackson when Leon was just 19. Now, at 23, Leon is directing a virtual production for the studio.

Auditions are underway, but instead of an in-person casting call, auditioners are asked to submit a cideo of themselves singing 35 to 40 seconds of a song or monologue of their choice. These can be from radio, television, or musical theater, Leon added.

"This time around, we're keeping our audition standards very relaxed so that we may encourage anyone to be involved," Leon said.

Videos may be posted to YouTube as an unlisted video, and a link should be sent to auditionbts@gmail.com.

The first deadline for the first cast is 11 p.m. April 25 -- Saturday.

"We will hold more auditions a few weeks after that, as we will have multiple rounds of shows," Leon said.

The musical is open to all age groups, from elementary school to adults, Leon said.

"Many high schools have had to halt productions indefinitely as the world is turned upside down," Leon said. "For a lot of kids in theater, not being able to perform their show after months in rehearsals is heartbreaking to say the least."

Leon said a company in New York was performing a virtual musical, and that sounded like a great idea, both to ease the sting of canceled productions and to help reestablish a sense of normalcy.

The cast will include everyone who auditions, as they'll have the ability to create multiple casts and premiere the musical online, Leon said.

In lieu of fees, Leon said a donation to the directors can help ensure the studio in Jackson can keep serving students. "This will be a pay what you can, if you can, when you can, production," Leon said.

"We're just trying to play our part in the best way we know now, and for us, taht's bringing people together by putting on a show," Leon added.

Earth Day

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. It's passed with little fanfare in recent years in Cape Girardeau, but this year, when people all over the world are staying in to help slow the spread of COVID-19, it feels especially important to reflect on our planet.

Happy weekend, folks! Stay safe out there!