Theaters go virtual, bring stage lights to home screens

‘THE SHOW MUST GO ON’

By Shari Goldstein Stern

Seven months into isolation due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, while the country remains masked, socially distant, hygienically obsessive, inconvenienced and reeling with decisions, some area theaters have met the challenge. From dark stages come virtual “live” theater with shows produced electronically and beaming right into patrons’ homes.

Theatre Three: In June, Theatre Three (T3)’s Artistic Director Jeffrey Schmidt experimented with an inventive, live streaming play, Mark Harelik’s inspiring work, “The Immigrant.” Patrons were thrilled with the play and the format.

Coming next to T3: Oct. 23-31, with a Nov. 3 Election Day special, T3 will present a new, streaming show at the end of the scariest year ever: Danielle Georgiou Dance Group’s “The Bippy Bobby Boo Show” will replace the scheduled, “Rocky Horror Show.” Local playwrights Jonathan Norton, Blake Hackler, Nicole Neely and The Drama Club contributed short, frightening pieces to be produced virtually in one program. The show will be designed and performed to work within the necessary social distancing restrictions. 

Uptown Players (UP): Fans of their 2014 production of “Pageant” will tell you this is exactly what our collective psyche needs right now. Sept. 25-Oct. 4 UP will stream the show to watch from the comfort of your recliner. According to UP, ‘“Pageant’ is a pageant, but what’s glitz, glamour, poise and talent without a five o’clock shadow?” With Dallas’ favorite Walter Lee as Miss Texas, Ashton Shawver as Miss Bible Belt, Peter DiCesare as Miss Deep South and many other popular UP talents representing their parts of the country, B.J. Cleveland is at his brightest as pageant host, Frankie Cavalier.

In July, WaterTower Theater (WTT) rolled out a one-man play, “I Am My Own Wife,” starring the venerable Bob Hess. In this case, Hess was filmed live on stage, with one simple set backing him up. 

WTT will offer the “ONE Addison” concert streaming via Vimeo Sept. 17-30. With music direction by Vonda K. Bowling, the concert includes songs from “The Bridges of Madison County,” the show that was originally scheduled for WTT. Appearing are Christine Cornish Smith and Christopher J. Deaton, who were cast in the show. The concert also features performances by local singers Feleceia Benton, Devin Berg, Ashley Puckett Gonzales, Brian Gonzales, Jamall Houston and Denise Lee. Dallas native Brian Gonzales, otherwise known as Babback in Broadway’s “Aladdin,” Shrek on the Great White Way and other favorites, said: “Being back in Texas is a bit surreal because of the immediate switch so many of us in showbiz had to make. One second, we had a profession, and the next, nothing. Coming home to Texas has been peaceful and joyous. Having a family network, backyards and a whole lot more space have been real blessings.”

Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) also went virtual when it presented a livestream concert event, “Christopher Jackson: Live from the West Side” in August. Jackson is a Grammy and EMMY Award-winning songwriter/composer and a Tony Award nominated actor best known for originating the role of George Washington in the cultural phenomenon “Hamilton.” 

Dallas Theater Center (DTC) is playing a different kind of role while employing technology. According to DTC Communications, “Free, Virtual Production Classes offer a unique look at how the magic happens.” The program kicked off with a step-by-step guide to making protective face masks. DTC Costume Director Michael Wild said: “We have donated approximately 2,100 [masks] throughout the Dallas-Ft. Worth community. Not knowing how long the pandemic might last, we created a how-to video. Mask-making is one small way we can contribute to a safer environment.”

DTC will also offer instructional videos for costuming, make-up, and hair. At the end of the series, there will be a live Zoom Q&A with the instructor for $10. The free videos are available for students of all ages and skill level at dallastheatercenter.org/production-classroom.

After obliged to cancel two annual, always anticipated summer musicals, Patty Granville, producer of Garland Summer Musicals, (GSM) is cautiously optimistic while planning to host Dallas Ballet’s annual “Nutcracker Suite” at the Garland Performing Arts Center (GPAC) in December. The Garland Symphony Orchestra (GCO) will perform at GPAC in October. Fingers crossed for GSM when it plans to hold auditions in late March 2021 for next summer’s scheduled musicals, “Grease,” directed by Buff Shurr and “Drowsy Chaperone,” directed by Michael Serrecchia.

While WingSpan Theatre Company (WTC) had already altered its schedule due to renovation of The Bath House Cultural Center (BHCC), both are also faced with delays due to the pandemic. 

BHCC’s Center’s projection is to reopen in 2021. According to Susan Sargeant, WTC producing artistic director, “We have no virtual plans for remaining 2020. Hopefully, by 2021, the reboot for live theatre begins to reignite and we can return to the art form with a live audience.” 

An outdoor concert sold out to the limited 25 percent allowed attendance in early September. “Memorias Flamencas” by Flamencas Fever was AT&T Performing Arts Center’s (PAC) first performance since March’s shut down. PAC’s Elevator Project’s “ROOTED: Envisage Dance Installations” will be presented in Strauss Square Friday, Sept. 25. Then on Saturday, Sept. 26 Ballet North Texas will perform “Night on the Trinity”  in Strauss Square. 

Benjamin Stegmair, T3’s “The Immigrant” leading actor, commented, “Even though working with green screens and Zoom is not the preferred method to present theater, it’s the one we have now and if it supports theater when the virus stands in our way, thank heaven we have this way.”