Photo by Ashton LeVasseur-Mason
By Ashton LeVasseur-Mason
The pandemic has taken a massive toll on almost every aspect of life and the community that we have held dear, but the realm of theatre has been crippled. The inability to have an audience for performances has proved to be a major difficulty for theatrical productions, but thankfully organizations such as the Whidbey Playhouse have found new ways to showcase performances. Live streams have become the new home for the actors of the Playhouse, allowing for shows to go on without an in-person audience. Tickets for the online shows are purchased from websites such as showtix4u.com or broadwayworld.com for $10.00, with showtix4u.com allowing for ticket sales to directly support actors/actresses. The shows can then be watched on those same websites, with 48 hour access to a video-on-demand (VOD) version of the show included with ticket purchase. The VOD can also be purchased by itself during the 48 hour period, also for $10.00.
The first of these virtual productions was a Halloween production of the 1938 War of the Worlds radio drama, which caused a panic during it’s initial performance. For the Playhouse’s version of the production, since all of the actors are stationary, it allowed for the production team to focus on camera work and sound effects rather than blocking and choreography. The sound effects of this show and all other virtual shows are a core aspect of making these shows special events, as to capture some of the magic of physically being in the theatre. To maintain safety for all involved, the actors were sat in social-distanced cubicles. In the initial stages of production, the producers at the Playhouse found much difficulty with getting the show off the ground. Sue Riney, chairperson of production at the Playhouse, mentioned that putting on a virtual production for the first time was “A major learning experience. The juggling of dealing with new technologies to our production as well as dealing with digital rights contracts made putting on our first virtual production a challenge.” Nevertheless, the show went on and was a success, giving cause for more virtual shows to be put on. The challenge at this point would be finding suitable productions for the virtual stage, as well as continuing to ensure safety for actors and crew members. Riney recounted the process of finding new shows to perform saying, “COVID-19 restrictions only let us have 10 people in the building at a time, so we needed to find scripts that called for small casts and let us rehearse over Zoom. The plays that we select would also have to draw in viewers, as at the end of the day we need to pay everyone involved for their time.”
The second virtual performance done by the Playhouse took place two months after War of the Worlds, and was the next installment of the company’s yearly production of Elf Jr. The show, based on the film of the same name, is a musical production. This introduces further complications, as singing creates further risk of spreading COVID-19. As such, the yearly tradition was changed to fit the virtual stage, taking into consideration the limited amount of people allowed in the facility and the overall risks of running theatre. As such, the small group of actors were required to play multiple roles within the play, increasing each actor’s workload exponentially. Kenyon Sirak, who played the lead role of Buddy the Elf, commented on this complication, “Having multiple parts to memorize lines for made Zoom rehearsals very difficult, but in a way a lot more fun. The small cast really got to know each other through the difficult rehearsal process, and that contributed to the great deal of fun we had.” Once again, the show was a success for the theatre.
On top of being safer in the midst of a pandemic, the virtual shows allow for more eyes than ever to view theatrical productions. Since there is no limit to the number of tickets, anyone from anywhere can view the Playhouse’s virtual productions. This includes the rest of the world outside of Oak Harbor, which as Riney stated “…allows people all across the world to watch our shows.” This increase in outreach allows the theatre to be seen by people all across the globe, and allows the company to set an example for other theatres to follow with their virtual shows.
The perseverance shown by the actors, directors and crew of the Whidbey Playhouse in the face of unimaginable adversity to their craft is remarkable. In the face of the potential end of live theatre, the company’s ability to quickly transition to a pandemic-safe format for presenting theatrical productions is admirable. This quick transition at its core represents the ability for humans to quickly adapt to new situations, even those that were beyond anyone’s imagination.
