Tonight, the acclaimed Red Bull Theater kicks off special programming by launching a FREE LIVESTREAM presentation. The presentation is an online reading of John Ford’s classic play ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore. The event features the complete cast of the Red Bull’s 2015 Off-Broadway production of this play originally directed by Jesse Berger, Founding Artistic Director.
This informal free event is designed to continue to serve Red Bull Theater’s mission to revitalize the classics for today’s audience during the uncertain time brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. The livestream will be available tonight, Monday, April 20th at 7:30pm, at Red Bull Theater’s website at https://www.redbulltheater.com/live, on Facebook, and at VIMEO.
This unrehearsed, cold reading features the entire original 2015 RBT company who performed the ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore: Matthew Amendt, Kelley Curran, Franchelle Stewart Dorn, Clifton Duncan, Ryan Farley, Ryan Garbayo, Philip Goodwin, Christopher Innvar, Amelia Pedlow, Everett Quinton, Rocco Sisto, Derek Smith, Auden Thornton, Tramell Tillmann,and Marc Vietor. These actors will “beam in” from wherever they are social distancing themselves during the crisis.
The press release for this event included the following statement:
Red Bull Theater wishes to express its gratitude to the Performers’ Unions: ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION, AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS, AMERICAN GUILD OF VARIETY ARTISTS, and SAG-AFTRA through Theatre Authority, Inc. for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear on these programs.
I’ve had the pleasure of attending Red Bull Theater productions and always found the events well produced. They have a flair for selecting plays that are stimulating to watch and absorb. For more information visit www.redbulltheater.com
About Red Bull Theater
Red Bull Theater, hailed as “the city’s gutsiest classical theater” by Time Out New York, brings rarely seen classic plays to dynamic new life for contemporary audiences, uniting a respect for tradition with a modern sensibility. Named for the rowdy Jacobean playhouse that illegally performed plays in England during the years of Puritan rule, Red Bull Theater is New York City’s home for dynamic performances of great plays that stand the test of time. With the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries as its cornerstone, the company also produces new works that are in conversation with the classics.
Offering Monday Night Virtual Play Readings Through Zoom
In the midst of the current health crisis, theater lovers have to find new ways to get their fix! Last Monday, mine came in the form of a live play reading given by Create Theater. Live streaming of the event was through the ZOOM platform. The play in the reading was Zoe Comes Home by Melissa Bell. In a word, attending this was fantastic! Here’s what happened.
Getting Set Up
I first learned about the event in a tweet from Melissa Bell.
And since I enjoy her work, I sent the email requesting entry to the event.
Cate Cammarata heads Create Theater. Her email came to me with a link to enter the ZOOM room. All I had to do was click the link and ok the use of the ZOOM app. I did receive a Password if I went another route. And there were also phone numbers to use if I had only wanted to listen in. It was incredibly easy to do.
Before I knew it, I was connected virtually to a “room” where a team of actors was ready to deliver the reading and a lot of other people who came to watch like I did. There were well over 40 people who attended this event. The virtual connection can show video of anyone who has ok’ed the use of video of themselves which shows in small tiles all around the screen. You also have the option of not being seen. The audio is muted except for the actors.
How the Reading Worked
The actors knew how to present themselves very professionally on this virtual platform. They showed up well as they had full make-up and hair nicely done. As each actor spoke their part, their video image took the center of the screen. Each one knew how to speak at the right volume and tone and how to best handle their moments of presentation. The reading went off smoothly. It was as if we were in the same room as the actors doing the reading.
The actual reading of the play lasted just under an hour. At the end of that time, a Survey Monkey link was activated in the Chat box and Melissa Bell asked if we would provide feedback about what we had seen. Then for the next 30 minutes, people who were viewers like myself provided interesting perspectives about what they saw. It was a very enjoyable post event discussion.
Being able to attend a reading of a new play is always a special event. I have dabbled in play writing myself, so being able to see the process of development is something I enjoy doing.
More About Create Theater
After attending this reading, I was intrigued with the idea of being able to see a reading of a new work in development. I liked what I saw on CreateTheater.com’s home page:
What can we do now as an industry? Keep theater moving forward as a community.
Submit your play for a free Monday Night Reading Series online.
Seeing that made me think I wanted to get more information about what was happening here. I contacted Cate Cammarata and she graciously answered some questions.
Was the Monday night online presentation the first time you tried a table reading in that manner? If it wasn’t the first time, how often has it been done?
I’ve been working with writers over the Zoom platform exclusively for almost 3 years, so we always read back and forth while we’re working on a script. It was the first time that I invited people into the room like that. I found it worked quite well! The “speaker view” voice-activates a camera profile, in effect very much like a multi-camera video. As one attendee said, it gives a closer view of the actor than a regular reading.
What was your reaction/assessment of how it went on Monday night from doing it virtually?
I thought it would work well, but in
truth it was very much of an experiment. I was happily surprised by the
audience’s engagement and follow up responses afterwards, which was uniformly
very positive. I’m definitely continuing the Monday Night Reading Series for
the foreseeable future, and I’m presently booked out until mid-May. Overall, I
believe that although being present in the same room is the best way to produce
a reading, there are some benefits of engaging an audience over a
teleconferencing platform.
Let’s project out: would you see this as something your group could continue doing after life returns to normal?
It will be. I can create a community
online that benefits everyone, especially the playwright. If anyone would like
more information about upcoming projects, please visit www.createtheater.com and
sign up for the newsletter, or contact me by email at cate@createtheater.com.
Create Theater Going Forward
Here is the current schedule for Monday night readings:
March 30 – Life Alert – A new comedy by Chris Sherman
April 6 – Bordello – A new musical – Emiliano Messiez, book & lyrics by Barbara Bellman
April 13 – War Orphan by Shellen Lubin
Readings begin promptly at 7pm EST / 4pm PST.
RSVP at info@createtheater.com
Final Thoughts
I’m giving a big round of applause to all who were involved in last Monday night’s (March 23, 2020) reading. Being able to connect with theater again was a joy for me.
And now another round of applause for Cate Cammarata for her innovative technique and her work in helping theater to keep going forward during these very difficult times.
2 new shows will play during the 2020-2021 Season at Paper Mill Playhouse
Although the theater world is not running live in-person shows right now, planning for new productions continues. Thus, the announcement of Millburn’s Paper Mill Playhouse 2020-2021 has arrived. The season will include two world premiere musicals: The Wanderer and Bruce. Scheduled to open the season is Clue and The Sound of Music will play for the December Holiday Season. Finally, a re-imagined version of Aida completes the season’s offerings.
The Shows
The season opens with the popular show Clue. It is based on the Paramount Pictures Motion Picture of the same name and based on the Hasbro Board Game Clue. The show is a hilarious farce-meets-murder-mystery. With original music by Michael Holland and direction by Casey Hushion, Clue runs October 7–November 11, 2020.
This season’s holiday offering is The Sound of Music. With music by Richard Rodgers and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstin II, this musical is a triumphant story of family and love which is based on the story of The Trapp Family Singers. It runs November 25, 2020 – January 3, 2021.
Running February 4–March 7, 2021 is Aida. This is a reimagined version of the Tony-winning Disney musical with music by Elton John and Tim Rice. Following the Paper Mill Playhouse premiere, the production will embark on a national tour.
After being postponed from the 2019 – 2020 season, The Wanderer premieres April 8 – May 9, 2021. This new musical is based on the life of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dion DiMucci. Dion skyrocketed to fame as a teenage heartthrob in the 1950s and early ’60s with hits like “Runaround Sue,” “Teenager in Love” and “I Wonder Why.” The Wanderer tells his story.
Paper Mill Playhouse closes its 82nd season with the world premiere of Bruce running June 9 – July 4, 2021. This a new musical is based on The Jaws Log by screenwriter Carl Gottlieb. It chronicles the making of an iconic movie as it tells the story of a then unknown 26-year-old director named Steven Spielberg.
Performances and Tickets for 2020 – 2021 Season
Paper Mill Playhouse produces eight performances a week, Wednesday through Sunday.
Tickets and subscriptions may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, or online at www.PaperMill.org. PLEASE NOTE: Due to health restrictions the box office is closed for in-person transactions until further notice.
