Here's the blurb that goes along with it:
Along with of the legions of theaters around the globe that have been forced to close or severely restrict their events due to the pandemic, the Warner has explored myriad avenues through which to bring live theater to its community while remaining steadfast in its adherence to public health guidelines.
Enter the Warner's production of Stephen Sondheim's ASSASSINS: an outdoor, socially distanced live musical performance that will take place next Wednesday, September 23rd, at the Pleasant Valley Drive-In Theater.
It all began just a few short weeks ago when Warner Theatre Producing Artistic Director, Sharon W. Houk, embraced the notion that "necessity is the mother of invention" and, with her trademark can-do perseverance, embarked upon a quest to present an evening of live theater in a health-conscious setting for our arts-hungry community to enjoy. By calling upon their mutual theatrical knowledge base in order to think way outside the proverbial box, Sharon and director Katherine Ray have united with Warner stage alumni to form a one-of-a-kind experience for audience members to behold.
This fresh new take on the highly-acclaimed 2015 Nancy Marine Studio Theater production has been transformed into a re-imagined, socially distant "car show" performance at the Pleasant Valley Drive-In Theater in Barkhamsted. Performers will be staged, in socially distant fashion, in "vehicle pods" (pickup/flatbed trucks, wagons, open cars) while video cameras project their live performances in real time on the big screen.
As seamless as it all sounds, an adaptation of this extent is not free from challenges. However, director Katherine Ray prefers to call these hurdles "creative opportunities". "We have a show that was initially set on a stage indoors with a budget," Ms. Ray says. "We are taking this beautiful production and relying on wonderful donations of goods and services that have to be pieced together to work. In addition, we have one day to load everything in - including the electricity to supply all the power for the production - and see if it works. The cast has been rehearsing via Zoom and won’t run the entire show on set until Tech Tuesday. The tech is going to be just as exciting as the show the next day. To keep with COVID-19 safety compliance, we have to choreograph the load-ins and make sure people are not overlapping in order to keep everyone safe."
