By BERNADETTE SUKLEY

Special to The Press

Happily back on stage Northwestern High School student actors performed, “Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus,” Dec. 2-4.

The classic choice of play worked well with the Drama Club’s move back to normal - a full cast, stage crew and audience.

“Last year, well I won’t say it was chaotic,” admits Stage Manager Annika Stangil.

“But there were so many more things to think about.”

Stangil, a senior, noted that while it was nice to be able to walk through the auditorium during a production due the lack of audience, last year’s performance presented its own set of issues.

Face shields made things difficult for actors and stage crew.

She’s glad to be back, but notes “Yes Virginia,” would be her last fall play at Northwestern.

She’s looking forward to the spring production, “Bye, Bye Birdie.”

This year, tickets were all online with audience members presenting printouts with QR codes to be scanned at the door.

A concession stand and a few raffle fundraisers were also held as the Drama Club inches toward normal.

The play, based on a true story of Frank Church, was based on a letter written by Virginia O’Hanlon, played by Chloe Shoemaker.

Shoemaker challenged The New York Sun newspaper.

Editor Ed Mitchell, played by Eli Kinzel, assigned the response to its down-and-out news reporter, Frank Church, who had recently lost his wife and child.

Witnessing acts of kindness blossoming around the holiday season, Church pens the brilliant response, which reads in part:

“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.

“There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.”

Director Bill Mutimer said the spirit of the students is really positive.

“They have a strong slate of officers and they really enjoy being with each other; they support each other,” he stated.

The play itself challenged the students to see that written at time when immigration was infusing New York City with a workforce and a toughness it had never seen before.

“The language was hard, rough at times, but this is how people used to talk to each other,” he said. “They did a great job of recognizing it for what it was.”

Mutimer also said the return of a live audience made a world of difference to the student actors.