ON THE TOWN Atticus Finch in the courtroom – Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”) and The Company of To Kill a Mockingbird. Below: Tom Robinson on the stand – Yaegel T. Welch (“Tom Robinson”). Photos by Julieta Cervantes
THE RETURN OF INDOOR THEATRE
AROUND THE SOUND BY MISHA BERSON
To state the obvious, it has been a couple of rocky years for theaters in the Seattle region. The pandemic meant cancelled productions and scratched subscription campaigns. And it caused confusion over how (and when) to offer plays and musicals live onstage—yet minimize the spread of the virus among the actors and audience members. Some companies created theatrical Zoom attractions, with limited success. But the essence of theater, for the actors and the audiences, is the intimacy and immediacy of gathering together in
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person to watch what playwright Oscar Wilde described as an event “in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” Though ensuring the health of all concerned is still a challenge, the dissemination of vaccines, a decline in the severity of cases, and more knowledge of how to mitigate the spread of the disease inspired some theaters in the area to host spring and summer shows indoors. And now more companies are moving forward by scheduling a broad array of live shows for autumn and beyond. (Note that each theater has developed its own
COVID protocols. When you buy a ticket, just ask.) Since nonprofit theaters rely heavily on box office receipts for their continuing existence, going on with the show is not just a rallying cry—it is a matter of survival. And it is also a boon to the many local residents who have enjoyed live theater, to those not yet exposed to www.3rdActMag.com
