With everything going on in the world, Nixa High School put on a performance that no one had seen before.  Allison Fleetwood, the head of the theater department, is directing the upcoming musical “Unpredicted Virtue: A Musical Revue.” 

   “Unpredicted Virtue” is about the individual’s power incorporating songs that could not be performed in any ordinary play.

   “The power in your own life, the power to make a difference if we choose to use it,” Fleetwood said.

   Fleetwood produced a show that was appropriate and had value all while making each student stand out on their own.

   “I am hoping for it to be refreshing and something good for the audience,” Fleetwood said. 

   One thing that new to the musical was the pre-show. The songs were original and sung by the students from the play. 

   Auditioning for this musical during COVID was very different from the previous years — each student was to fill out a time slot for the part they requested.

   “Each student would have to sing or dance to be in a musical,” Fleetwood said.

   Depending on the part the actor plays, they usually practiced three times a week for three hours. This musical cast was small this year, so students were put into two groups of 20 and one group of 22. The cast was always moving in order not to cross-contaminate, to keep everyone as safe as possible. Audrey Martens, a freshman and one of the cast members, learned how hard it was to pull off a musical.   

   “Hard work really does pay off; you can tell if someone has practice or not,” Martens said. “You either feel really prepared or really unprepared.”

   Martens was a part of the choreography group and has learned to tap dance with this particular musical. 

   “I love getting to learn something new with this musical,” Martens said. 

  Musicals are stressful to put together and takes tons of work with each student that way they achieve their full potential.

   “So much, the only good answer would have to be a lot,” Fleetwood said. 

   Illyria Bogner, a freshman and another one of the “Unpredicted Virtue” cast members, learned how long something she is passionate about can take.

   “When I am on stage I feel like I can escape from reality, and I just do not feel like myself for a while,” Bogner said. 

   The actors have put in tons of work and time to perform this musical to keep the audience. 

   “The background is very simple, but the set is very different,” Bogner said. “You do not have to be looking everywhere at all times to know the plot of the story.” 

   With all the hard work put into this musical, especially with COVID, everyone still tried to have fun and keep things positive when something goes wrong. 

   “I love these kids, they are like a family to me, and I could just squeeze their little faces,” Fleetwood said. “I love to see the kids shine when they are on stage.”  

     “Unpredicted Virtue” tickets were free, but donations were accepted., The musical was held from Feb. 3 through Feb. 6.