The plague is still a problem, but the play is back. After more than five months, the American Shakespeare Center is offering live performances of Twelfth Night and Othello.
When the pandemic hit Virginia, the Blackfriars Theater in Staunton went dark, but artistic director Ethan McSweeny says the company kept busy.
“We immediately were able to take our re-creation of a 16th century playhouse and turn it into a pretty good imitation of a 21st century sound stage and record all of the shows that we had in repertory which was actually seven plays,” he explains.
Through a modest paywall, they performed for about 10,000 people, but they missed the thrill of live theater, so beginning Saturday they will offer Twelfth Night and Othello in an outdoor space at the Blackburn Inn and Conference Center.
“Every family or household will get their own 8-by-8 picnic square separated from all the other 8-by-8 picnic squares," McSweeny says, "or you can get a 2-person bring-your-own-chair square, which is a little bit smaller.”
And, in a week, they will also have shows in the theater, with guests seated at least six feet apart and everyone but the actors wearing masks.
