FRONT & CENTER
Phoenix Theatre Company
creates a stage where the show can go on
I
n March 2020, live performing arts venues throughout the country halted in-person programming to help arrest the spread of COVID-19. The Phoenix Theatre Company was ready to stage “Something Rotten!” when it shuttered its doors – for the first time in its 100-year history. An entire community of theatre professionals suddenly found their livelihoods in question, as the company grappled with an uncertain future. But in the summer of 2020, the company began preparations for an innovative new outdoor stage that would restart productions, built in the courtyard of the historic Central United Methodist Church, next door to the theatre. Just in time for cooler temperatures, the outdoor stage holds more than 250 patrons and supports fully socially-distanced and contact-free interactions. Built from the ground up in a startlingly short period of time, this brand-new venue is one of the first places in the country where audiences may attend live performances in person. Several months later, and two successful news productions under its belt, The Phoenix Theatre Company is pleased to continue its outdoor season into 2021, with a much-lauded spin on a music legend’s legacy and a thrilling and hilarious musical mystery. In an Emmy Award-nominated performance seen on PBS, Angela Ingersoll celebrates Judy Garland. Ingersoll 52
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE
