As the coronavirus continues to spread across the country, it also unfortunately brought the curtain down on many school productions and musicals.
But thanks to one Broadway star and one award-winning actress, they’re saying the show must go on.
On Friday, Broadway’s Laura Benanti took to Twitter and posted a video of herself encouraging students to share videos of their performances that got cancelled due to the coronavirus.
MORE: High School productions sidelined by coronavirus get a chance to shineDark times for all. Trying to find some bright spots. If you were meant to perform in your High School musical and it was cancelled please post yourself singing and tag me. I want to be your audience!! Sending all my love and black market toilet paper. 💛 pic.twitter.com/BVYR4t3dJE
— Laura Benanti (@LauraBenanti) March 13, 2020
“Dark times for all,” she wrote in the caption. “Trying to find some bright spots. If you were meant to perform in your High School musical and it was cancelled please post yourself singing and tag me. I want to be your audience!!”
Immediately, students from all over the country began replying to the broadway star and tagging her with the hashtag #SunshineSongs in posts with videos of them performing their school musical numbers from plays like “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Once on this Island” and even “Aladdin” at rehearsals.
#SunshineSongs https://t.co/wrubUL52Fp
— issa (@isbeele) March 14, 2020
Our middle school cast has been working so hard. The magic carpet is not finished, but we do hope our community will get to see this once school is back in session. @HowellTwpMSS #HeyJenLookAtMe @LauraBenanti @Aladdinjr2020 @Lin_Manuel pic.twitter.com/RUFnTKem4N
— howellsouthplayers (@hmssouthplayers) March 15, 2020
MORE: Broadway, professional sports among events affected by coronavirus“Catch Me If You Can” “Seven Wonders” @TBranowski we are all hoping there will be future dates announced soon. This show and this cast worked so hard to just go away....#SunshineSongs #heyjenlookatme pic.twitter.com/ZMFTUYPGRd
— Laynie1714 (@laynie1714) March 15, 2020
The posts from students also caught the attention of fellow broadway star and actor, Lin Manuel Miranda who tweeted, “Thank you, @LauraBenanti, thank you kids, I’m watching too.”
Thank you, @LauraBenanti, thank you kids, I'm watching too. #SunshineSongs https://t.co/TGO5n7h6H7
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 14, 2020
The next day after Benanti shared her tweet, actress Jennifer Garner coined the hashtag, “#heyjenlookatme,” asking everyone from students to professionals on Instagram to share videos of themselves rehearsing if their productions were shut down too.
“To the Elsas and Matildas; to the Willy Lomans and Romeos. Not to mention the flautists, the pianists, the gymnasts, the shot-putter. We want to SEE - show us what you’ve got!!” Garner wrote in a caption.
Performers across the country from ballet dancers to theater kids and gymnasts began to share videos of their performances that were cancelled due to the outbreak.
Since Garner shared her post, over 3,000 people have shared videos using the hashtag.
“I just feel like it’s really needed right now,” Benanti told “GMA” in an interview over facetime. “You know, I think this is a really sort of dark and scary time.”
She added, “There’s nothing like live theater, but when you can’t get into a room with a thousand other people, the best thing we can do is watch it online and create the largest theater in the world.”
