For students who pursue the theater, canceling or delaying any production is a great disappointment. For seniors at Warrenton High School, the COVID pandemic has caused them to surmount a great challenge in order to perform for one of the last times before graduating.

Bethanie Swiney, theater teacher, said this spring’s production of “The Foreigner” has been bittersweet for her. Most of the cast members have been under her direction throughout middle and high school. Needless to say, she had formed a great attachment to these students and didn’t want to see them disappointed their senior year.

The production of “The Foreigner” was held March 6-7, after three delays due to sickness and weather.

“This play is really special to me,” Swiney said. “It’s a good way to end their high school career. I wanted to showcase all of them. All the parts are either lead or supporting and are equally showcased. These kids are really special to me. I started my career with them straight out of college.”

“The Foreigner,” first performed in 1984, and written by Larry Shue, takes place in a fishing lodge in Georgia. One of the guests, Charlie, working through some personal issues, decides to remain mute to the other lodgers. His friend claims he can’t speak or understand English because he is from an “exotic” country. The other lodgers speak freely around him, not knowing he can understand every word.

Cast members included seniors Ryan Tayloe, Abby McCall, Hunter Miesner, Tre Hunsucker, Jacob Esche, Parker Reidt, Kayla Perkins, Kalie Mullings and Aysia Hazlett. Other cast members include juniors Kaitlyn Bowles and Austin Agler; and sophomore Aaron Catron.

Swiney said the cast was willing to do whatever it took to protect each other from COVID, including social distancing and mask wearing. She said their good attitudes really affected the outcome.

“I felt it was going to take a miracle to pull it off,” said Swiney. “They’ve already lost so much (during the pandemic). I thought it was important for them to have this high school experience — it’s part of their learning.

Hunter Miesner played the part of Ellard Simms, a naïve southern boy with a heart of gold, who adds a lot of comedy to the show.

“I was so grateful to be able to do the show,” he said. “I’m happy with how we’ve handled it. We’ve all grown to be more adaptable.”

Abigail McCall played the lodgekeeper, the mom figure to the others. As a thespian state board member, Abby saw how many other schools were struggling to perform during the pandemic. Abby plans to pursue theater education.

“We’ve lost a lot of things,” she said. “But we’ve been really lucky to be able to pull this off.”

Ryan Taylor, who plays Charlie, the foreigner, also plans to continue his theater education. He found wearing face masks challenging when acting and was glad to finally take the mask off as opening night approached.

“This is my 17th performance and is one of my favorites,” said Tayloe. “My character was a good guy that had a lot thrown at him. He ended up being a better person.”

Members of the WHS Theatre Troop 4166 hope the production of “The Foreigner” is not the last one for the school year. One acts shows are scheduled for March 25-26 and a musical revue is scheduled for April 16-17.