Eisenhower High School Theatre Student’s Viral Video Reminds Us to Wear Our Masks

Eisenhower Senior High School Theatre IB program and diploma candidate senior, Vuong Duong, was recently featured on local news station, KHOU 11, for his Hamilton inspired video about wearing your mask during the pandemic. The video has gone viral! His catchy tune reminds us of the importance of caring for others by wearing masks and continuing to social distance. Check out Duong’s interview with KHOU. 

The senior student was prompted to put a COVID-19 twist on the song “What Comes Next” from the popular musical Hamilton. The lyrics stressed the importance of staying safe although business is ‘back to normal’ for some. 

“I say, don’t wear a mask if you wish for this virus to stay.”
“Please comply. Compromise. If you don’t then it is our demise.”
“But if you do. Awesome, wow! It won’t be hard for us to beat this now.”  

Duong was first introduced to acting when he started theatre in 8th-grade. The last five years he has enjoyed being able to transform into different characters. During his recent Eisenhower Theatre virtual showcase audition, Duong initially wanted to use “You’ll Be Back” from Hamilton the Musical, but decided he could get his message across better with “What Comes Next.” He stands by his decision to do so. 

This year, Eisenhower theatre and speech and debate organizations are collaborating to host their first virtual showcase, “The New Normal.” Students learning on campus and at home auditioned with monologues, poems, songs and spoken word pieces revolving around quarantine life topics. This included topics about social distancing, COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, protests, the election and more.  

So I ask my student to take a Hamilton song and put a Covid twist to it.
💯👏🏻He 👏🏻Did 👏🏻Not 👏🏻Disappoint 👏🏻💯 @Ike9_AISD @AldineISD @InsideAldine #hamiltonmusical #COVID19 #AldineAnywhere pic.twitter.com/rIgoonD3H0

— Eisenhower Theatre (@IkeTheatre4588) October 24, 2020

“I was not surprised that Vuong’s went viral,” Crystal Rose, Eisenhower High School theatre teacher said. “He is not only talented but super creative.”

When it comes to performing or singing, the senior theatre student is always up for a risk. Creating the original song took Duong about a week. He wanted to ensure that he took the time to create a quality parody, while giving an ode to the original track written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

“When my teacher first contacted me about putting a COVID-19 twist on my audition song, I was surprised but not put off,” Duong said. “I thought it would be fun, challenging, and interesting to create a parody to see how others receive it.”

Duong’s viral video has thousands of views and hundreds of comments. 

“When I first saw the reactions to my video I was surprised and speechless, to say the least,” Duong said. “I did not expect a huge reaction and I have nothing but gratitude for the love people are showing my video.”

This school year Duong has chosen to learn at home. Duong explained that completing schoolwork at home was difficult at first but after a few months he has successfully mastered managing his time and has even begun exercising at home. He enjoys the freedom to complete all of his school work from bed, but he misses being on stage, performing magic, and walking the halls of his high school. However, he understands the importance of staying safe and healthy during this time. 

The Eisenhower theatre program is ensuring all of their theatre students can still connect and collaborate as one troupe.  

“The fine arts not only creates a platform for students to express themselves artistically but it creates a culture of creative thinkers, problem solvers and collaborators,” Rose said. “Our theatre program’s mission statement is ‘using our passion and our purpose for promotion,’ which is exactly what Vuong showcased in his video.”

After graduation, Duong plans to major in English or Mathematics in college. He has aspirations of becoming a teacher. 

“I want to instill the same kindness and wisdom that I have been fortunate enough to receive throughout my life.”

He also wants to feed his performance passions, which include acting, magic, and singing. 

“I want people to know that theatre is not limited to acting and singing. Anything that requires entertaining and conveying a message of some sort to a crowd is an “art” and should be respected as such.”

Duong hopes that anyone who comes across his video can enjoy it, because it is a window into the world. 

The Eisenhower Theatre students are currently competing in the 2020 Texas Thespian Festival. They are competing with hundreds of students from the state of Texas in performance and technical theatre. The Eisenhower troupe is competing in five categories this year. Solo musical, Monologue, Duet Acting, Costume Construction and Solo Dance. “The New Normal” virtual showcase will take place later this fall.