Barrington Stage celebrates 10 years of 10x10 New Play Festival
Everyone who lives in the Northeast knows that February is a cruel month.
For this reason, in 2011, Barrington Stage Company was trying to find a way to brighten the winter lives of their patrons.
The result was the start of the 10X10 New Play Series. It’s a night of ten original plays that take approximately ten minutes to perform. The hope was it would be a one-off diversion that would keep actors busy and audiences entertained.
Ten years later, it is an annual festival and one of the most popular events the theater produces. It’s so popular that despite the pandemic 10x10 is still taking place this year. It has been pushed back a month and is offered March 11-14 and 18-21.
However, instead of being performed in front of a live audience, it is being streamed and is available for a 24-hour period per rental.
In a recent telephone interview, BSC Artistic Director, Julianne Boyd, said there was no way they would cancel the show, even though at the time of planning the production the government restrictions on social gathering prevented audiences from seeing it live. The decision to stream was made reluctantly and she is trying to replicate the live experience as best as possible.
She says that is why they are filming a live staged production of the show instead of doing it piece meal. “I want it to have the feel of theater,” she explained. “Some filmed shows lose that sense of theatricality. I didn’t want that to happen.”
In at least one, Boyd thinks streaming is an asset. “One play has four people in a cave. It is so beautiful on film. I don’t think it would look that good live.”
Overall, the choice of the material is meant to be lighthearted. “This is about feeling good,” says Boyd. To assure this, one of the restrictions on submissions was that no plays were allowed on the topic of Covid.
“It’s too soon,” says Boyd. “We’ll get plenty of those as time goes by.”
However, she adds that while there are few very serious plays, there are no, what she calls, “boffo” comedies either. “Most are the type of work that brings a happy smile to your face.”
As for bringing the material to life, the experience was complicated. Between state regulations on COVID and the desire for Actors’ Equity to create a flawlessly safe environment for the actors, rehearsals offered a number of challenges.
The obvious hurdles were masks and social distancing. The performers double masked during rehearsals and everyone was tested three times a week, which limits the fear of contagion. The live performance is without masks.
Social distancing onstage takes creativity and Boyd, who is directing five of the shows, admits that some blocking will look awkward and even contrived. She adds that the 6-foot red stick that made such a comical appearance in the summer revue, “The Hills Are Alive,” will once again make an appearance.
As for adapting, she points to one scene where a mother is supposed to hug and kiss her daughter when she leaves the apartment. We compromised by having her blowing a kiss across the room,” she says, sounding a bit unhappy.
There were many adjustments she and Matthew Penn, who is directing the other five plays, had to make during rehearsal, mostly due to regulations that props can only be handled by a single actor. Thus, they have a glass being brought in on a tray rather than handed to another actor.
An exchange of money happens not by handing a person bills, but instead giving an envelope in which the money is pre-placed. This way another actor can remove the money without both touching it.
The list is endless and unexpected. One thing that changed for actors is when not in a scene instead of sitting freely in the theater, they were restricted to specific seats.
“We sanitize after every rehearsal and limiting seating areas helped save time and money on cleaning,” she explains.
Though frustrating and potentially annoying, Boyd believes the extra work is worth it. “Health and safety are always our first priority,” she says. But she also adds that the emotional rewards were great.
“No one in the cast expected the feelings of joy experienced by all just by being on stage again. The fact that it was in an empty theater made no difference. It made us all so happy to be creating theater together.
“I expect audiences – even digitally -will sense that excitement and add some of their own.”
10X10 New Play Festival by Barrington Stage Company. Streamed March 1114, 18-21. Purchase is available for 24 hours. $35 for one viewer, $55 for a houseful. Available at barringtonstageco.org/10x10