91探花

The show鈥檚 director, Michelle Hach茅, was just as upset.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to take a while to get over the pain of not getting to do the show,鈥� Hach茅 said.

Hach茅 was committed to finding a way to make something of the show. Inspired by artists around the world who were producing content online, she sent a message to the cast with a plan. She asked the students to record a portion of the show's final song, "You'll Never Walk Alone," and send it to her.

Erik Vose is the Director of Operations and Technical Director of the Sue & Frank Mayborn Performing Arts Center. He was serving as Carousel鈥檚 Technical Director and Set Designer before the cancellation. Hach茅 asked him to take the individual videos and make something special. It was a serious undertaking, requiring him to cut together clips that had been recorded at differing tempos, sometimes with a delay, but Vose was motivated.

The Storm Project

鈥淢y hope is that the finished product can help comfort some people during this strange time,鈥� Vose said. 鈥淚 know a lot of people out there are feeling isolated, and this particular song is actually very fitting.鈥�

Hach茅 shares his hope.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just for our own local area,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 for the world.鈥�

For Smith, who opens the recording, the choice of song was perfect.

鈥淐arousel is a show about redemption,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淭imes of hardship come in life, and you get to decide how you handle them. The song encompasses that message, and I believe it鈥檚 perfect for the world we鈥檙e living in today.鈥�

Watching the finished video was a special moment for Smith, who graduated over the weekend.

Hach茅 says that she learned a great deal from the process of creating the video, and she hopes to tackle similar but more ambitious projects in the future.