Each year, Islip High School is known to showcase spectacular productions on their stage. Their next show, “Broadway Bound,” is quickly approaching on February 16. As opposed to an ordinary musical, “Broadway Bound” is the one chance students receive per year to perform any song they want from any musical of their choosing.

This was the first “Broadway Bound” since before COVID. Last year, in place of “Broadway Bound,” the school had a similar production, titled “Music from the Movies.”

The Islip musical-theater students are spending time each day rehearsing their numbers and preparing for the show. Students utilize their free periods at school for rehearsal time in the auditorium.

Richie Castronova, a senior at Islip High School and a performer in the upcoming showcase, gave an insider scoop on how things are going.

In times before COVID, auditions were held in person; however, Castronova explained that this year the audition process was virtual.

“We had to record ourselves singing the song we wanted to perform and submit it to Dr. Harris,” he said.

Each year, new songs are performed and it’s never short of spectacular. Castronova will be performing two numbers this year, “Mama Says” from “Footloose” and “Tango Maureen” from “Rent.” Some other numbers to look forward to include “Gaston” from “Beauty and the Beast,” “Shadowlands” from “The Lion King” and “Tradition” from “Fiddler on the Roof.”

As opposed to a normal production, there are COVID precautions put into place to ensure the safety of the cast and audience members.

“Masks have to be worn during all numbers that include more than one performer. The audience size is also limited to maintain social distance,” Castronova added.

The show date had to be pushed back due to the increasing number of positive COVID tests.

“In all seriousness, it’s very nice to be performing even with the precautions set into place, and when we are with our friends, it really doesn’t matter how the production is,” Castronova said.

Tickets for this production can be found at islipmusicals.com.