Pandemic creates a twist for live performances
With coronavirus, all the world’s a stage — even drive-in theaters
When drive-in theater makes a return to Central Florida in midAugust, the actors won’t be emoting from the silver screen. They’ll be in a field and running between the cars.
That’s because producer Jeremy Seghers’ version of drive-in theater refers to a stage play, not the cinema. In “The Bacchae,” ancient Greek tragedy gets a modern twist as theatergoers pull up to watch the drama from the (relative) comfort of their cars.
“The Bacchae” will be staged adjacent to the Osceola Arts parking lot in Kissimmee, and then later on a corner of Orlando Executive Airport’s property east of downtown.
“It doesn’t get any more simple than people coming together outside to watch people put on a play,” said Seghers, a veteran theater producer. “Greek theater took place outside” — and that was millennia ago. The premiere of “The Bacchae” took place in 405 B.C.
But it was a very contemporary problem that put the idea of a watching theater through a windshield in Seghers’ mind: coronavirus. Most theaters remain closed because of the health risks for people assembled indoors for a long period of time.
Seghers had been isolating at home when friends persuaded him to meet them at Lakeland’s Silver Moon Drive-In for a showing of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.”
“I had my windows down. My friends were in their cars. It felt safe,” Seghers said. “It was the first time I felt relaxed around other people in a long time.”
On the drive home, he began to think about how the experience might translate to live performance. Musicians already have been experimenting with drivein concerts. Why not a drive-in play?
Talk about low-risk: “We don’t even have to clean anything,”
Seghers said. “You your own seats.”
Staging theater in unusual but thematically appropriate locations is nothing new to Seghers, who once trapped audience members in a downtown Orlando loft with wayward twentysomethings in “This Is Our Youth,” and also seated theatergoers in a barn to watch a young man’s obsession with horses play out in “Equus.”
“This is right in his bailiwick,” said John DiDonna, who chairs the theater department at Valencia College. “Jeremy lives to do shows that are site-specific or environmental.”
DiDonna hired Seghers in 2017 to stage an outdoor production of “Red, Black and Ignorant” at the college.
“It was a complex piece, but I was so engrossed by his production,” said DiDonna, adding that a drivein play has appeal besides the artistic innovation
“I think this is the safest way we can be doing theater right now,” he said. “I think this idea is what theater is. Theater is innovative.”
Being innovative, of course, requires adjustments.
The audience will have to bring its own snacks and drinks. (Alcohol isn’t a good idea for theatergoers seated behind the wheel.) There will be restrooms but no air conditioning. Cars will have to be shut off for the duration bring
Max Kelly stars as Dionysus in “The Bacchae.”
of the
“That would be too loud, and the exhaust would get pretty obnoxious,” Seghers said.
The actors, too, are making adjustments. Besides learning lines and movement, rehearsals also mean dodging mosquitos and fleeing sudden downpours.
“Everyone has been so patient and wonderful,” 75-minute performance.
Seghers said. “I just can’t sing their praises enough for getting onboard.”
“I’ve worked the streets,” joked actor Sarah-Lee Dobbs, who has performed on real-life boulevards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and make-believe thoroughfares with the World Showcase Players at Disney’s Epcot. “But I don’t think I’ve worked something where people are sitting in cars.”
Other veteran Central Florida actors participating include Bobbie Bell, Tommy Keesling, Ashleigh Ann Gardner, Sarah Lockard and Brenna Arden.
The cast has rehearsed, masked, in Dobbs’ backyard and in an Orlando park — much to the amusement of passersby.
“I was aware walking by with of people their dogs
while I’m supposed to be screaming over my dead son,” Dobbs said.
She plays a woman being punished by the Greek god Dionysus in the story, which plays out as Dionysus seeks revenge on those who do not believe in his godliness. Max Kelly plays the god, associated with winemaking, insanity, religious ecstasy and theater.
Seghers sees contemporary issues in the play.
“At its core, it’s a play about extremes — political extremes, social extremes,” he said. “It says that when you live in a world of extremes, nothing but chaos can come from it. We’re asking, ‘Does this play reflect things you’re seeing now?”
Other facets of modern life, such as airplanes, aren’t as welcome. The cast has rehearsed “holding” — or freezing in place — if a plane or other major disruption takes place during the show.
“We don’t want someone who’s having an emotional breakdown to have to shout over a plane,” Seghers said.
A rain shower could also temporarily delay a performance. (If the forecast is bad enough, dates will be rescheduled). Dobbs said she’s looking forward to the challenges.
“I’m sure I’ll be extra nervous, but I’ll give the same performance I would on a stage,” she said.
For Seghers, the show is the right combination of artistry and safety.
“You take a risk in some form doing a show right now,” he said. “We’re risking people might be a little uncomfortable if they get sweaty. What we’re not risking is health.”
‘The Bacchae’
■ What: A 75-minute retelling of Euripides’ tale of Greek gods
■ When: Aug. 13-16 performances are at Osceola Arts, 2411 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee. Parking opens at 7 p.m., with the show at 7:30. Cars will be parked on a first-come, first-served basis, though larger vehicles may be asked to park behind smaller ones. Aug. 20-23 performances are at Orlando Executive Airport in a lot at the southwest corner of Tower Road and Andes Avenue, across from the Park of the Americas. Again, shows are at 7:30 p.m. with parking starting at 7.
■ Tickets: $20 per person or $60 per car. Maximum of four people per car.
■ Notes: Restrooms are available at Osceola Arts or across the street from the Orlando location at the Park of the Americas. Theatergoers are encouraged to bring their own water, snacks and a fan.
■ Info: