"It's pretty frustrating that it's been cancelled but it must have been so difficult trying to run practices via Zoom calls and making costumes in their bedrooms. They said they won't be able to put the stage together in time. It does sound very hopeful that they are working with Wellington City Council and WellingtonNZ to rejig the dates."
Anna says she had been hopeful the show would go ahead, and although it wasn't too much of a shock hearing about the changes, her heart sank when she received the email.
"Especially because I had organised a special trip for a number of my senior textiles students from Sacred Heart College to attend the show with me. The students were buzzing and ready to go on the trip, but the reasons behind WOW needing to postpone the show are completely justifiable. There was only so much that the WOW team could carry on with."
Continuing to try to prepare for a show on that kind of scale while staying in their own individual bubbles at home would have been an impossible task for anyone, she says.
"I think the WOW team has done an excellent job at adapting to the restrictions that come with being in a level 4 lockdown. If anything, their willingness to adapt to online rehearsals just shows how important the show is to the WOW team. It's clear they are dedicated to giving New Zealand the show this year, especially when it was cancelled last year. WOW is inspiring for so many people and I think that is something we all need right now in the midst of the difficulties we are facing."
Anna can relate to the challenges the WOW team is facing, albeit on a much smaller scale.
"I definitely understand this challenge. Teaching a practical subject like textiles can be extremely difficult to adapt to an online learning environment, especially when not all students have access to sewing equipment, but the main thing is that we are all safe from the virus. At the end of the day, I am just grateful that WOW recognises the amount of work that designers have put into their entries and are working tirelessly to try to make the show go ahead. They could have decided to go ahead with the show without having enough time to properly practise, make costumes or even put together the set, but they respect the designers' work too much and have too much pride in the WOW legacy that they've created to do it that injustice."
While the show may be on hold for now, WOW team and designers have been kept in touch via a special online portal where they have been able to get to know each other.
"It's been great as they have done a great job keeping us all in the loop with possible changes."
Anna is hopeful if the show goes ahead she is still able to take her students, but that all depends on how the dates work within the school year. She has been to WOW four times before and says organisers wouldn't be happy putting on a show that didn't deliver the same amount of "wow pizzazz that it normally does".
"This is why WOW is internationally renowned."
