“And I would frankly be embarrassed to be a part of the theater community if everything goes back to what it was, inequitable and not sustainable.”īobbitt says the theater hasn’t had to lay off or furlough any employees. “I think that if we come back and we come back the same, that would feel like a failure,” he says. He also wants to offer digital productions to wide audiences, like Disney+ has by making "Hamilton" available to mass viewership. Bobbitt says annual subscription tickets privilege subscribers over those who can only afford to buy single tickets. Black, brown, poor and young folks will be left out of the experience. In the wake of the pandemic, New Rep is considering the elimination of its tiered and subscription tickets to make its shows more accessible. Should you not see it? You should be able to see it.” “If you can afford to be in the building. “I think it's a shame that theater can only be enjoyed by the people in the building,” Bobbitt says. In addition to giving more people from different backgrounds to tell stories through theater, New Rep is also exploring options to expand the theater's reach. There are no plans to produce anything indoors until next year.īobbitt also says the dual pandemic of COVID-19 and the racial equity movement has pushed theaters to rethink how they’re including marginalized voices, on and off stage. Lenox Experience" wraps up, the theater will work on the next play for the series which will focus on an indigenous person’s story and is written and directed by indigenous people. He has worked on similar projects for former employers and the pandemic pushed New Rep to try the new approach. Bobbitt says the series comes from an idea he had before the pandemic. Bennett's voice is projected through a speaker steered by Mia Porter, a New Rep front house staffer, who follows closely behind him as he moves. Everyone, including the actor, wears a face mask. Because of safety precautions, this show takes place outside with no more than 15 attendees socially distanced from one another. Lenox Experience” is one of the ways theaters are getting creative in the time of COVID-19. The play explores the tension between Black soldiers fighting for freedom and their unrecognized efforts during the Civil War. Bennett walks the audience on a short tour past historic sites where he channels Lenox. It’s based on a true story and is the first in a series of outdoor historical plays New Rep is planning. The play is a collaboration with the Watertown Free Public Library and the Historical Society of Watertown. Kadahj Bennett plays the role of Charles W. But it's also kind of like having a plastic bag on my face, so the breathing is kind of hard and muffles the sound a little bit,” Bennett says. Lenox, played by actor Kadahj Bennett, is the show's sole performer and must wear both the 1860s-style costume and a face mask for safety precautions. “It's a clear mask, a clear plastic mask. The show follows a local Black resident and barbershop owner during the Civil War era. Lenox Experience,” the first in-person production since the pandemic struck in March. Anthony Fauci, patrons are unlikely to return to theaters before the end of 2021.īut Watertown’s New Repertory Theatre has found a solution to scratch theaters goers' the itch for live performance. And even if audiences were willing to gather, regulations prohibit it. Of all the arts, theater has been hit especially hard by the pandemic. This week, WBUR's arts reporters are examining the effects on institutions, large and small. The pandemic has impacted all corners of the Boston arts scene. Lenox Experience." (Robin Lubbock/WBUR) This article is more than 2 years old. Actor Kadahj Bennett, who performs all the characters in "The Charles W.
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