The coronavirus pandemic made it a difficult year to perform theater and forensics, Iola High School teacher Regina Christiensen said during the Little Oscars theater awards presentation Friday night.
And the various restrictions caused by the pandemic — performing plays while wearing masks, staying 6 feet apart, avoiding touching, limited audiences, virtual forensics contests — made it even more challenging to inspire others.
But the students found a way. Perhaps none more so than senior Jonathon Poffenbarger.
Poffenbarger walked away with the most hardware of the night, with four Little Oscar statues including Outstanding Players Member, Don Bain Showman of the Year, a repeat win as Best Supporting Actor, and the Susan S. Miller Most Inspirational Forensics Team Member.
“In reality, I think it’s just because I taught most of the boys on the forensics team how to tie their tie,” Poffenbarger joked when accepting the last award.
He then thanked those who inspired him, from his friends and family to staff at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, where he worked an internship.
“A big shout out to Regina Christiensen, who encouraged me from Day One by looking at me and telling me that I walked with purpose,” he said. 
The 56th Annual Little Oscars required a few modifications, such as splitting the location of the meal and the awards ceremony between the high school and Bowlus, respectively. Attendance was limited with social distancing.
Former theater stars Parker Smith (Class of 2019), River Hess and Lexi Vega (Class of 2020) served as the event’s hilarious hosts. Several times, Hess and Vega lamented the fact that they never got a “normal” Little Oscars ceremony. Last year’s event was postponed until July and trimmed significantly, with few performances.
This year’s event was much more traditional, though. It featured several skits by the hosts, and songs from Disney movies and musicals by HIS students.
EVEN picking plays was a challenge this year, director Richard Spencer said.
“And then to cast students that could handle those challenges was an even bigger challenge,” he said.
For example, the spring musical “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” was actually a repeat, having been presented by IHS students several years ago and the first time the school repeated a play.
But it offered the flexibility to interchange cast members if they had to be quarantined or otherwise unable to fulfil their responsibilities.
“Interestingly enough, we cast 15 students in the show and performed it with nine,” Spencer said. 
That wasn’t because students became ill or had to be quarantined, though.
