The theater program will perform a comedic spy thriller called ‘The 39 Steps’ on November 5, 7 and 8 at the PAC. The play is about a spy who is trying to figure out who is passing intelligence to foreign governments during the 1930s.

“We chose the show because of how many various roles the show has, as well as being episodic,” theater director Taylor Jarman said. “Only a few characters are in every scene or various scenes, so if some of our actors were to get sick or have to quarantine then we could switch parts out easily.”

Due to COVID-19, the workflow affected the production of the play. The audience will have to follow state guidelines in order to watch the play, such as spreading out and limiting the capacity to 50% in the PAC.

“We will spread everyone out in the PAC,” Jarman said. “It is large and we can spread the audience throughout the venue to make sure we are adhering to Covid-19 guidelines.”

The lead role, an English gentlemen in the 1930s, is being played by senior Ben Watters. He acts with 19 other actors who are going to be playing alongside him throughout the play.

“Honestly, I didn’t think we were going to get to do a show this semester,” Watters said. “But all in all, the [production] hasn’t stopped [and] the show must go on.”

The play has faced many other challenges other than COVID-19. The style of acting and the requirements to pull off the show requires the actors to work even harder.

“I think this play is going to be a special challenge for myself and the rest of the cast,” Watters said. “The fact that we are doing so many different accents [that aren’t American] is going to be [interesting].”