Mason Bobro, of Fombell, is one of 24 high school students nationally who will perform in “Hemophilia: The Zoomsical,” a virtual spin on a Broadway-style musical production.

FOMBELL — The national theater debut of Mason Bobro will be done in virtual fashion, as the 2020 Riverside High graduate helps educate people about bleeding disorders.

Bobro, of Fombell, is one of 24 high school students nationally who will perform in “Hemophilia: The Zoomsical,” a virtual spin on a Broadway-style musical production.

Adapted to the constraints of the global pandemic, “Hemophilia: The Zoomsical” will stream on Facebook at 8 p.m. July 31. The five-song musical focuses on the social and general health aspects of being a young person with a bleeding disorder. The show strives to educate young adults about the healing power of the arts and self-expression when managing a chronic health condition.

At age 9, doctors diagnosed Bobro with hemophilia, a medical condition in which the ability of the blood to clot is drastically reduced. A person with hemophilia could bleed severely from even a slight injury. At 13, doctors altered Bobro’s diagnosis to moderate-severe Factor X (10) Deficiency, “which is a rare bleeding disorder and isn’t quite considered to be ’hemophilia’ per se,” Bobo said. “There was no treatment until 2015.”

Bobro belongs to the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation (WPCNHF), from which the opportunity arose to try out for “Hemophilia: The Zoomsical.” The show specifically sought performers who have hemophilia or another bleeding disorder, are genetic carriers of a bleeding disorder, or are a sibling or child of someone with a bleeding disorder.

Three dozen youths auditioned, two-thirds of whom, including Bobro, were cast. They’ve participated in weekly Zoom rehearsals and sessions on breathing and relaxation, visual arts, singing and performance. They’ve virtually interacted with special guests, including a West End actress and Alvin Ailey dancer, who will choreograph the musical performance.

Bobro plans to major in a STEM discipline in college, “but the arts, including theater, have always been important in my life, and I plan to continue my hobbies through college and into adulthood.”

Bobro said his medical condition affects every aspect of his life, “from chronic pain to mobility issues to secondary conditions like anemia. I’m very lucky to be a part of WPCNHF. The community is incredible, the events are fun and informative, and the friends I have made are lifelong. My family and I wouldn’t have been able to navigate life with a bleeding disorder without them.”

Any attention “Hemophilia: the Zoomsical” generates will help others understand hemophilia.

“There are so many misconceptions about bleeding disorders that ’Hemophilia: the Zoomsical’ works to dispel, which is amazing,” Bobro said. “But the message we need the most as high schoolers is that we know our own bodies. No matter what parents or teachers or anyone else thinks we can’t handle, we know that better than them. And if we decide to push ourselves past our limits, we’ve already accepted the consequences, both good and bad.”

Bobro’s only prior theater experience was an open after-school class at a performing arts high school about five years ago.

“I loved it, but school was busy and stressful and I didn’t take part in any other theatrical production until the ’Zoomsical,’” Bobro said.