Stage | The Guardian: On 15 March last year, the Arcola in east London was one of the first major theatres to suspend all public performances in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. With its two indoor stages closed, and both of them too small to enable viable socially distanced performances, executive director Ben Todd and his team began searching for a more Covid-friendly solution to resuming business. The answer? The great outdoors. In October, plans were unveiled for Arcola Outside, an open-air structure, including a stage and bar, seating about 80 people.
1 comment:
This article offers some really interesting insight into what the summer could look like for theater. Any potential for live, in-person theater is really exciting and these outdoor spaces seem to be offering a really excellent option as to what might work for theater this summer. It is interesting that the builders of some of these outdoor theater spaces anticipate that they could be used for at minimum three years. They suggested that even though many people will be vaccinated, there will still be a large population of people who are uncomfortable with being in enclosed, indoor spaces. That idea definitely makes it seem worth it to invest a significant amount of money into something that at surface level might seem like it will be useful for only one summer. I really enjoy outdoor theater, and I think it presents a unique challenge for designers, especially light and sound, so I will be really excited to see what happens with these outdoor spaces.
Post a Comment