In this week’s addition of Artistic Expressions, Wingspan sits down with freshman Ashton Hatch as she recalls the past four years in her theater career.
Ashton Hatch
Name: Ashton Hatch
Grade: 9
Future College: BYU Provo
Future Job: Lawyer
Years in Theater: 4
Inspiration: Friends that did theatre with me
Favorite Actor: Emma Watson
Wingspan:What made you want to choose to do theater?
Hatch: “I enjoy it.”
Wingspan:How does theater impact your daily life?
Hatch: “Helps me socially communicate.”
Wingspan:Are you considering continuing theater beyond high school? Why?
Hatch: “No, because while I do love theater I am more interested in other careers like being a lawyer.”
Wingspan:What are your personal goals for this year?
Hatch: “My goals for theater this year is to get better at public speaking and articulating when I speak.”
Wingspan:What is your favorite thing about theater?
Hatch: “My favorite thing about theater is working on scripts with other people. While working on it you get to bond as a group, become interesting characters with an interesting prompt, and all around just have fun.”
Wingspan:Do you audition/enjoy the plays that the school puts on?
Hatch: “I haven’t auditioned yet because I am in color guard which is time consuming at the times the plays are rehearsing.”
Wingspan:What’s your favorite memory of theater?
Hatch: “My favorite memory of theater is when I did my first musical “Shrek Jr. The Musical”. We had just found out we had sold out the Sharolyn Wilson Center for the Arts for every performance we were putting on. We did very well each night and I had so much fun with the rest of the cast.”
Wingspan: What is your advice to anybody thinking about joining theater?
Hatch: “My advice would be to join theater 1. You don’t know until you try it, so might as well try it out.”
Wingspan: What is your favorite thing you have done in theater?
Hatch: “My favorite thing we have done this year is the audition unit. We worked on plays in groups and got to feel like what it would be like to work with a director and put on a play.”
COVID-19 and the Superbowl
Tom Brady led the Buccaneers to victory in the Super Bowl on Sunday, beating the Chiefs 31-9. This was Bradey’s seventh Super Bowl win, and many were there to witness it; about 25,000 to be exact. While 25,000 is better than 200,000, it was still risky.
Of the 25,000 who attended, 7,500 were fully vaccinated, healthcare workers. The rest had no vaccination or test requirement. Despite 25,000 people being spread out in a 65,890 person stadium, the excessive shouting and cheering and activity amongst said people can cause COVID to spread even easier and farther. This poses risk for the fans who were present and not vaccinated and can worsen the pandemic. Those who traveled for the game have the possibility of catching it and bringing it back home, raising their own state numbers along with Floridas.
While precautions were made, it was still very risky for those who attended. In a pandemic that’s so close to ending, large gatherings and such can prolong it. Hence why we need to continue to be safe and follow CDC Guidelines.