Group sets stage with drive-in shows
William Oliver III was conducting traffic, helping people find their parking spots at the 16th Street Station in West Oakland.
He went about his work with great care, making sure that the parked cars were just the right amount of space from each other and also facing the right direction to see the production that would take place at the historic train station.
When all the cars were in line and show time was at hand, Oliver switched roles and took the stage as the sole actor in Oakland Theater Project’s production of “Binding Ties: The 16th Street Station” on Sunday night.
Welcome to live theater in 2021, where companies are scrambling to find new ways to stay afloat and relevant by still presenting performances in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many companies and performers have taken their shows online, allowing fans to stream the productions.
Yet, the Oakland Theater Project is pivoting in another direction by offering a full season of drivein shows for theater lovers. It’s much like the classic drive-in movie experience, but instead of watching “Bee Movie” or “Bride of Chucky” on the big screen fans get to see live actors performing.
And it’s been a big hit for Oakland Theater Project, with many performances of “Binding Ties,” the season’s first offering, selling out in advance. Plus, tickets appear to be selling well for the rest of the season, which continues in April with an adaptation T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land.”
Other productions are “Begin the Beguine: A Quartet of One Acts” (May 14-June 20), “The Dream Life of Malcom X” (July 23-Aug. 29), “Ghost Quartet” (Sept. 17-Oct. 24) and “SAINT JOAN (burn/burn/ burn)” (Nov. 12-Dec. 19).
After “Binding Ties” — which finished its run this past weekend — the remainder of the season’s shows will take place in the parking lot of the Oakland Theater Project at FLAX Art & Design, 1501 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, in Oakland. For more information, visit oakland theater project. org.
Chalk it up as yet another way that drive-in entertainment — which had its heyday in the ’50s and ’60s — has made a comeback as the coronavirus outbreak as sent people scurrying to find social-distancing-friendly means of entertainment.
The drive-in movies, which was once seemed so antiquated in the days of THX this and Dolby that, have basically been the only game in town as indoor cinemas have been mostly closed during the pandemic. (Some indoor cinemas have now been allowed to reopen).
The drive-in format has translated over to the live music side, as drive-in concerts have popped up at the Alameda County Fairgrounds and other venues over the last 12 months.
Now, we’re finding out that the format works with live theater as well.
Don’t misunderstand that previous statement. Nobody is saying that it’s as ideal as watching a play in a regular performance space, where you really feel the excitement of the crowd and connect with the actors. But it sure can be a great alternative to spending yet another block of time looking at your computer or mobile device as you stream content.
Plus, there are some definite benefits to the drivein experience that you simply can’t (or wouldn’t want to) replicate in an indoor theater. For instance, you can enjoy a full-on picnic mid-performance, without having to worry about the dreaded noisy unwrapping of the food or the amplified crunch of chips. Need to send a quick text at some point? Well, it’s not going to bother the people in the car next to you. Volume too loud or too soft? You can adjust it yourself, since the sound is being piped in over an FM channel on your own car stereo.
And in the case of “Binding Ties,” even the best set designers in the business couldn’t properly replicate this magnificent backdrop in a theater.
With due apologies to Oliver — who does an excellent job in the role of the narrator — it’s the Beaux-Arts building itself that is the true star of the show.
“Binding Ties: The 16th Street Station,” which was conceived and created by Oakland Theater Project’s resident lighting designer Stephanie Anne Johnson, acts as a time machine of sorts. Using taped interviews, historical narratives and photographs, as well as Oliver’s live storytelling, this production relays the story of former Southern Pacific Railroad workers and the migration of Oakland’s Black and immigrant communities in the early part of the 20th century.
It’s a story that would be intriguing in any setting. Yet, it’s also one that is magnified, perhaps exponentially, by the on-site setting.