Yolo County theater groups turn to new formats to entertain

Jim Hewlett of the Winters Theatre Company reports his organization is continuing to look for ways to “provide theatrical experiences during the current pandemic.”

This past fall, WTC produced a Zoom version of “Robin Hood,” allowing actors a chance to interact in a fun and safe way, while giving audiences the opportunity to safely enjoy the show from the comfort of their homes. Following in the footsteps of that production, WTC is presenting a podcast production for this year’s second annual “TenMinute Play Festival,” according to Hewlett.

First produced in early 2020, right before the pandemic shelter-in-place began, the inaugural “TenMinute Play Festival” featured eight plays with storylines ranging from astronauts in love to a young man coming out about his love of opera music.

Festival organizers Hewlett and Ana Kormos wanted to continue the festival in 2021, but were concerned that the pandemic would not allow for the inperson theater event that occurred in early 2020. This prompted the organization to turn to another medium: a podcast format.

“Script submissions were solicited, just as they were for the previous festival, and 99 scripts were submitted from all across the United States, as well as from Australia and New Zealand,” Hewlett explained. “From there, the painstaking, but fun, process of selecting the winning eight scripts took place.”

This year’s festival scripts feature storylines involving crossword puzzles, dating, mayflies, holy relics, dreams, maps, and even the pandemic. These plays will make you laugh, cry, sigh, and think…all from the comfort of your couch, Hewlett added.

The podcast is available starting this Friday through Sunday, Feb. 21 on the Winters Theatre Company website at winterstheatre.org.

••• Another group looking to audio to connect with an audience is the Bike City Theatre Company out of Davis.

“Radio Tuesdays” have been offered monthly for several months, the most recent installment being “The Terra Show.” This radio play follows Terra, “a vampire turned home decorator, currently the host of a successful daytime crafts and cooking show a la Martha Stewart,” according to the Bike City website.

Their website, bikecitytheatre.org, provides an archives of past productions for “Radio Tuesdays.”

The original radio plays air on the last Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. and are free to all.

••• Other theater groups are turning to the past to provide entertainment to their audiences.

The Davis Musical Theatre Company is hosting an “Encore Event” of their 2017 production of “Jekyll & Hyde” later this month.

Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic thriller, “Jekyll & Hyde” is set to a powerful pop-rock score by Frank Wildhorn with book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. In an attempt to cure his ailing father’s mental illness by separating “good” from “evil” in the human personality, talented physician Dr. Jekyll inadvertently creates an alternate personality of pure evil, dubbed Mr. Hyde, who wreaks murderous havoc on the city of London. The production includes many popular songs, including “This is The Moment” and “Someone Like You.”

Jan Isaacson directs and choreographs, with Jonathan Rothman musical direction.

This encore presentation runs Friday, Jan. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 31.

For more information, visit dmtc.org.