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The cast of “The Children” at Stage West
Photo by Karry Liu, STAGE WEST
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The cast of “The Children” at Stage West
Photo by Karry Liu, STAGE WEST
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Detra Payne, Greg Holt, Rashid Eldoma in BABETTE'S FEAST
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The cast of “Babette’s Feast” at Amphibian Stage
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Back in the Spotlight Jubilee Theatre was one of the first performing arts venues to reopen in Fort Worth. But others still wait for their next opening night.
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The cast of Jubilee Theatre’s production of “How I Got Over”
June 19 was a big day for Jubilee Theatre, not just because it was Juneteenth or the theater’s 39th birthday, but because it was opening night for “How I Got Over” — the theater’s first performance after a three-month shutdown due to COVID-19.
Jubilee was one of the first performing arts venues to reopen in Fort Worth. Of course, things aren’t entirely back to normal. Cast and crew, clad in masks, pass through temperature screenings before coming inside. Everyone gets their own personal hand sanitizer, personal steamer for costumes, and individual laundry bags to avoid items coming in contact with one another.
Within the auditorium, “green means go,” says artistic director D. Wambui Richardson — every other seat is marked red or green, indicating where audiences are allowed to sit. The theater’s ticket portal is also locked at 74 seats, keeping capacity at 50%.
It’s not the most ideal way to premiere a show, Richardson says, but nonetheless, it’s good to be back.
“[We] know it’s not going to be the same as it was before,” he says. “But we can still have a taste of it, just being in the same room together, to hear each other speak again, to dance together, to tell a story together.”
The timing worked itself out for Jubilee. “How I Got Over” — a musical about a gospel singer who returns home after protesting with Martin Luther King Jr. — was in the middle of technical preparations when the theater was forced to close in March. While the cast and crew remained on lockdown, rehearsals continued virtually. Actors followed video recordings of the choreography and blocking at home while running lines together over video chat.
So, when it came time to reopen the theater, everyone was ready.
“To get the show up and be ready on June 19 was our Plan C,” Richardson says. “We had a Plan A, we had a plan B, we had a plan B.5 along the way — we had to make ourselves flexible enough that when the time came for an opening to take place, we would be ready.”
But not all theaters had such fortunate circumstances. Just a few minutes south of Jubilee, Near Southside theater Stage West found itself closing on the opening weekend of its show, “The Children.” The theater decided to film the production instead and stream it via Vimeo On Demand.
“It turned out incredibly well on film,” executive producer Dana Schultes says. “We were able to use three cameras and multiple microphones and take the time to edit it together thoughtfully, with the purpose of showing it as a stage play but to tell the story using cameras.”
The theater remains closed (with the exception of summer camps and other programs). Despite Governor Greg Abbott’s announcement that performing halls may reopen at 50% capacity, Schultes contends that operating in such a way would be unrealistic for Stage West.
“For a show that costs $50,000, if we were to have to present it in a reduced format of 50% capacity … even if we sold every one of those seats, we would be losing half of what we put into it,” she says. “There’s just no way to get ahead with reduced capacity.”
But there’s another factor preventing Stage West and other performing arts theaters from reopening — a national moratorium from the Actors’ Equity Association, which states that members may only return to work when the union deems it safe to do so (Jubilee’s production of “How I Got Over” had no Actors’ Equity members, allowing them to still perform).
Amphibian Stage, like Stage West, is facing similar circumstances. While the theater remains closed, Amphibian has reshifted its focus toward other programs like DE-CRUIT, which uses Shakespeare to help veterans deal with post-traumatic stress, and Tad-Poles, a stilt-walking program. DE-CRUIT has since shifted to online, while Tad-Poles made surprise porch visits to lift people’s spirits while they remained sequestered at home. Amphibian also employed artists to make gowns and masks and even delivered its popular cookies to theater members and first responders.
But on July 16, Amphibian will return for its first performance since shutting down — “The True History of the Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, the Ugliest Woman in the World.”
The production won’t take place in the theater though. Since the play is meant to be performed in the dark, the show will be entirely on audio, featuring an immersive soundscape by sound designer David Lanza.
“When they’re in the market, you’re going to hear the sounds of the market. When they’re out in Russia, you’re going to hear the icy wind blowing,” executive artistic director Kathleen Culebro says. “It’s in stereo, so you’re going to feel the movement … it’s not just a standard radio play.”
As far as when the theater itself will reopen, Amphibian had not yet set a date as of press time.
Neither has Stage West. Schultes says the theater is waiting until the fall to answer two questions: Has Actors’ Equity lightened its rules about performances, and if it has, is social distancing still in place?
She says Stage West aims to have its first show in November, but even then, it’s difficult to know for sure.
Still, Schultes remains optimistic.
“One way or another, we will get through this,” she says. “I have no doubt about that.”
