Update: Because of a COVID-related circumstance, in-person performances of the Health Sciences Musical (HSM) were cancelled. The group is working on a plan to potentially film the production so that the show can be shared with the McMaster community. 

It’s musical season at Mac, and for many students it’s been a long road back to the stage.

For a group of 100 mostly Bachelor of Health Sciences students, getting the chance to perform in person at the annual Health Sciences Musical (HSM) is welcome relief after several years of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We went through months of practice not even knowing if we would be able to put this on stage,” says Shubhreet Johal, a fourth-year Bachelor of Health Sciences student who is the director of this year’s production Health Sci Hears a “Who?”

Johal remembers the heartbreak when the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic meant the 2020 HSM production had to shut down – just one week before opening night and after months and months of work.

“I think just the shock of a worldwide pandemic was a lot for everybody to digest. And it’s sad that a lot of that work dissipated,” says Johal.

But the group proved resilient, pivoting to an online performance last year and creating layers of contingency plans for this year’s performance in case an in-person performance wasn’t possible.

“It honestly just feels so rewarding to get to finally be on stage,” says co-producer Michelle Fattori. “It feels almost like a weight is off our shoulders now that we’re actually here in the venue.”

Health Sci Hears a “Who?” follows a group of students who have been given a task that they must complete in order to graduate. The only problem is that their only clue is the word “who”, leaving everyone confused.

Johal says it is a reflection of the inquiry-based learning model, a central teaching concept in McMaster’s Health Sciences program.

“The plot is something that a lot of people can relate to. It centres around insecurities and changing identities that I think a lot of university students kind of gravitate and kind of relate to,” says cast member Felix Hu.

The production includes a 27-member band and Johal says she has been impressed by the dedication of the cast and crew over the past few months.

“I think there can be this kind of conception that science students aren’t people who dabble much in the arts, which is so far from the truth. I’ve never seen such an artistically inclined group before.”

Health Sci Hears a “Who?” is playing at the Zoetic Theatre March 31, April 1 and April 2 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here. Proceeds go towards Arts for All and a bursary for Black students enrolled in the BHSc program.

McMaster Science Society presents jukebox musical If/Else 

Students from the Faculty of Science are gearing up for a production of the musical If/Else, a musical about a first-year Life Sciences student struggling to balance science, bitter competition and maybe even love.

The jukebox musical is “all about expressing parts of the undergraduate experience while letting people display their talents and having fun while doing so,” says director Jennifer Ma.

Ma says she has been impressed by the caliber of performance and dedication of the students in an unpredictable year.

“We had initial plans for an in-person, online or hybrid show since we didn’t know. At the same time, the entire creative team has really taken the unpredictability in stride and made the most of it,” says Ma.

Putting together a musical has been a great growth opportunity for the students involved, says the fourth-year McMaster student.

“I think it can be easy to get wrapped up in the technicalities of our coursework, but it’s also healthy to think creatively. Creative thinking, problem solving and communicating is really at the core of good science after all, and theatre is about conveying a story to the audience,” says Ma.

“If/Else” is playing at the Hamilton Conservatory of the Arts on April 2 and 3. Tickets can be bought here. Proceeds are going to The Native Women’s Centre.  

McMaster Engineering Musical presents Shreng the Musical 

“I’m very excited to actually be in the theatre and to be performing after two years. It’s going to be fun to say the least,” says fifth-year McMaster engineering student Zach Thorne.

Thorne is the director of Shreng, McMaster Engineering’s 24th annual musical, a production inspired by the 2001 animated film that also spawned a Broadway musical.

“Who doesn’t love Shrek, right? It’s like one of the greatest love stories of all time. So I want to see it happening at McMaster,” says Thorne.

The musical centres around engineer Shrekellini Ogroni who embarks on a journey to take back Thode Library from the so-called “artsies” after Mills Library shuts down.

And while Thorne says dealing with the uncertainty of the pandemic has caused stress for the production team, what he has enjoyed the most is being amongst his peers once again.

“The biggest thing is to create a community with the members […] remember, as long as you’re having fun, it’s worth it in the end.”

Shreng is playing at the Zoetic Theatre April 7, 8 and 9. Tickets can be purchased here.