Theatre in the Time of a Pandemic

Note: I am posting this after the third show opens so as not to reveal the secrets of our final production prematurely! I worked on the above locations on 7/8/2020.

I took a much longer hiatus than I meant to but here I am finally, trying to put my thoughts on the page. I promised posts about working theatre but I think all of my experiences this summer can be distilled into one post.

For context, I have a degree in theatre arts and I have worked professionally as a prop master for 6 or 7 years-- it blurs together after awhile. I've worked chiefly for two theatres, one in Iowa and one in Missouri and I have done some freelance prop work (this is partly what led me to opening an Etsy store, but more on that later). My job consists of working closely with the scenic designer, director, stage manager, and technical crew/staff to make, borrow, or find (in stock, usually) props and furniture to help create the world of the particular play or musical. Sounds easy, right?

Well, it is to a point. Through a pandemic into the mix and most of us in this field are left jobless. I am very fortunate that I am working for one of the few summer companies open this year. We are creating shows that are seen through technology many of us became familiar with quickly over last semester--Zoom, Skype, live streaming on Youtube, etc. I spent the first few weeks of our season working exclusively from home--sitting in Zoom meetings most of the day and creating sanitized boxes of supplies that could be delivered to my crew so that they could built props for me. Instead of designing a prop that needs to be seen from the back of a theatre, we had to make sure the items we made looked good on screen-- a lot of time their size was dictated by the screen as well.

Our first show was Charlotte's Web and the cast performed in a livestream on Youtube through the hard work and machinations of a member of our company and a software program that allowed him to group boxes of actors together in specific formations for each scene, much like choreography for a dance.

The second show, All the Spaces, was an original musical pared down for a shorter performance in anticipation of its official premier this fall. Actors performed in Zoom and then were edited together into a final product.

We're in the midst of working on our third show, which is filming on the stage space of the Rhynsburger. We have strict protocols in place for sanitizing and we always have a small number of people (10 or less) on stage, socially distanced at a time. For those throwing fits in grocery stores over masks, hear this-- our dedicated crew and team wear masks nonstop for 8+ hours a day. And we all breathe just fine.

Part of my job now that we are filming is to help set each location. Here are some photos from today's filming. I have to pay attention to spike marks and placement, just like in theatre. But the added challenge is continuity (like in film). Sometimes the same location will have three different actors in it, shot on three different days for health and safety purposes. It's crucial to remember the layout, down to how full a glass is if an actor is meant to drink from it. It is a lot of "hurry up and wait" as they say but I am confident the final product will be part of the shifting theatrical scene as we navigate the arts in COVID-19 world.