There’s an old saying in the theater, “The show must go on!” which means no matter what problems or difficulties arise on or backstage, the production continues uninterrupted as the audience eagerly awaits. For the Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School Masqueraders (the school’s theatrical company), this phrase took on a reimagined significance during the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s slightly different and definitely has had its challenges,” said Neptune Pringle III, Visitation’s Director of Performing Arts, while preparing to direct the musical comedy Sister Act, the school’s second theatrical production of the 2020-21 academic year.

Yet, in spite of the difficulties in staging a musical during a pandemic, the director sees this year’s performances as something more meaningful than in a typical year.

“The theme for this year’s performing season is hope. We all need hope and faith. So many lives were lost and so many people were affected. It’s easy to lose hope,” Pringle said.

On an afternoon in late March, preparations were underway at the Catholic all-girls high school in Washington, D.C., where more than three dozen cast and crew members, as well as the stage manager and director were busily getting ready for a dress rehearsal and filming later that evening on the main stage of the Nolan Center for the Performing Arts, where throughout the decades so many Visitation plays and musicals have been staged for enthusiastic live audiences.

At this time, however, live audiences are not able to be present for the performances due to COVID-19 restrictions. Visitation’s production of Sister Act was filmed and will be streamed for virtual audiences during the weekend of April 23-25.

Sister Act is a Broadway musical based on the 1992 hit movie of the same name starring Whoopi Goldberg and features original music by Oscar and Tony award-winning composer Alan Menken. The feel-good musical follows the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a nightclub singer who witnesses a murder and is placed by police in the protective custody of a convent of Catholic nuns. She disguises herself as one of the sisters and brings her singing talents to the aid of their less-than-stellar choir. She and the Mother Superior are often in disagreement, but Deloris and the sisters eventually form a special bond through music.

“It’s made me realize all things are possible when it seems like it’s not possible,” said Visitation senior Janell Hill, who leads the cast as Deloris, of the life lessons she learned through performing theater in a pandemic.

She recalls the musical’s challenging rehearsals, which were divided by cohort – students who are on campus together certain days of the week.  In-person rehearsals would switch back and forth between cast members of the same cohort, with one group practicing on stage at school while another cohort practiced virtually on their laptops at home.

Although she will miss performing in front of a live audience, Hill said she plans to stream the show with her family and looks forward to seeing their reactions in real time. “I think it will actually be less nerve-wracking,” said Hill, who plans to major in theater and production design in college.

“It’s definitely been different, but it’s been fun actually, a new experience,” said freshman Olivia Newberry, who’s part of the ensemble, playing a nun and a police officer.

Senior Catalina Torres, head of the costume department and assistant technical director, said she’s enjoyed working on Sister Act, especially creating a variety of costumes and teaching the cast sewing skills they can use for life, such as hemming a skirt or sewing on a button.

With more than one dozen actors dressed in traditional black and white nuns’ habits down to their ankles, Torres said the production is also a tribute to the Visitation sisters who founded the school and remain a strong presence on campus. “We respect and learn from the nuns, and I wanted to make sure the habits are perfect,” she said. “They are amazing people.”

When all Catholic schools closed in mid-March 2020 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Pringle remembers the disappointment, especially for the seniors, of the cancelation of the spring musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, just a week before the curtain went up. When classes resumed on campus this fall, Pringle said he really wanted to find creative solutions to keep the arts alive in a pandemic.

“God just smacked me in the face and said, ‘You have this beautiful campus, use it.’ It’s such a blessing to be here,” said Pringle, recalling how he came up with the idea to restage Jesus Christ Superstar as the school’s fall production and film it as a movie, using multiple cameras, editing and set locations throughout the campus.

Pringle, a native of Jersey City, New Jersey, grew up performing as a child in theatrical productions. He attended Catholic school and taught music and performing arts at St. Joseph’s Regional Catholic School, Beltsville, St. Anthony Catholic School and St. Augustine Catholic School in Washington, D.C, before being named director of performing arts at Visitation three years ago.

To safeguard the actors’ health, Pringle said the cast wore specially-made masks during rehearsals, which will also be worn while the cast films for streaming. There will also be no “live” singing on stage during the production’s musical numbers. All the vocals were pre-recorded and dubbed into the video. One silver lining, said Pringle, is the turn to streaming. “We’ve found a wider audience,” with viewers tuning in from as far away as the West coast and Canada, he said, adding even when live audiences return, Visitation will continue to stream its productions.

Although he didn’t realize more than a year ago that choosing productions  with uplifting faith-based themes would take on a greater meaning in such an uncertain time, Pringle said looking back he believes it was divine inspiration. “There is hope and we believe that through the arts, we are reinvigorating people’s hope, even if it’s just for a moment,” he said.

For more information on how to purchase a streaming ticket ($20) to Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School’s production of Sister Act on Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24 at 7 p.m. and April 25 at 3 p.m., visit www.visi.org/arts/theater