thePULSEIt’s Magic Under The Stars
By Christine R. Walsh
Theatre is meant to sway the mind into believing in magic, mysticism and the utterly impossible. Beautifully designed costumes and elaborate make-up can transform actors into beautiful sprites or ugly demons. The language of a play can transport an audience to days of yesteryear. And scenery can create new worlds of flight and fancy. So when a play calls an enchanting forest background, what could be better than staging it in an actual…forest?
Summer gives many theatre companies the opportunity to do just that, stage productions in the beauty of the outdoors. Outdoor performances are a favorite of actors and audience members alike ~ No longer are people restricted by the walls that surround them and gone is the rude jolt of being whipped back into reality by the glare of intermission lights.
Diego Archiniegas, Artistic Director of Boston’s Publick Theatre, loves the mystique and possibility of the outdoor theatre experience. “The shows begin in daylight, the sun sets behind the stage, the stage lights come on, the moon rises over the audience’s heads. There’s theatrical magic in the setting alone.”
Archiniegas feels that there’s more of a sensory experience for the audience member when he or she is watching a show in an outdoor amphitheater.
“It makes everything much more tactile,” says Archiniegas. “In an indoor setting you have much more control over your environment. When you are outdoors it is more primal and athletic to boot! The juxtaposition of theatrical elements and nature make for a magical, almost surreal experience.”
Outdoor theater can be a welcome challenge for actors, too. Instead of pretending to be walking over a hill to make an entrance into the scene, the actor can physically walk over a hill and add to the credibility of the scene. There’s often more room for an actor to experiment with his character’s space when working outdoors, too. Actions that might not work at an indoor venue ~ running, doing cartwheels, juggling, performing acrobatics ~ can be accomplished with grace and confidence at an outdoor venue. These touches can turn a solid show into a brilliant, captivating one.
But as Timothy J. Smith, Founder and Artistic Director of Redfeather Theater Company knows, with outdoor theater, an actor must be ready for anything and everything.
“There [could be] people roaming about who may or may not have any respect for our performance, and the occasional animal may wander onstage,” Smith says. “There is of course the rain and the wind that we’re forced to compete with. You have to enter into production with a pretty loose attitude. Things will always happen that you don’t expect. You just have to accept it ahead of time and when it does happen, you respond accordingly.” All those variables, although at times anxiety-causing, create an electricity that keeps the actors on their toes and the performances fresh.
So have you been bitten by the outdoor theater bug yet? Here are some delightful venues where the finest stars of the summertime stage strut their Shakespearean stuff…under some of the finest stars of summertime!
The Redfeather Theatre Company
Taking theatre to new heights of creativity, Redfeather Theatre Company excites its audiences (and even makes them blush sometimes!). This summer, the Company will perform Shakespeare’s As You Like It at Green Hill Park Memorial Grove Amphitheatre located on Skyline Drive in Worcester. Performances run Wednesday through Sunday at 7pm from August 2 – August 20th. Tickets are $14 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. The opening Wednesday performance is a “Pay What You Can” show. For more information, go to www.redfeatherco.com
The Publick Theatre of Boston
Located in Brighton, MA, this theatre company mesmerizes audiences each year with their performances at Christian Herter Park, 1175A Soldiers Field Road. Shows start at 7:30pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets range in price from $10 – $30. The season begins June 29th and runs through September 10th. This summer’s line-up includes Amy Freed’s The Beard of Avon and Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen. Should a show be rained out, the Theatre will honor your ticket at any performance throughout the summer season. Check out www.publicktheatre.com for more information.
Shakespeare & Company
Theatre is treasured in Lenox, MA and the fine people at Shakespeare & Company can take a good deal of the credit. Visitors can travel to 70 Kremble Street and take in a performance at the Rose Footprint Theatre. The theatre is actually a large and beautiful tent so performances will carry on, rain or shine. This summer’s show is The Servant of Two Masters and will take place in two parts; Part A will be held on Wednesday nights and Part B on Friday nights. See both parts together at Saturday performances. The season runs from June 23rd- August 26th. Take in the Bankside Festival while you’re there ~ it’s a free theatrical experience filled with improvisation and music before the featured performance of the night. Go to www.Shakespeare.org for ticket prices.
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company has been working hard to provide the public with free opportunities to view the Bard’s work. Their first free show was performed in Boston’s Copley Square in 1996. Now, they call the Boston Commons “Stage, sweet stage!” This summer, audiences can enjoy The Taming of the Shrew. All shows are free and begin at 8:00pm Tuesdays through Saturdays and 7pm on Sundays. Lawn chairs are available for rent, but it’s just as easy to bring a blanket. Get there early to grab a patch of lawn close to the stage. Click on www.freeshakespeare.org for more information.
