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| Click HERE to watch the Barbicide live-stream! |
What's The Big Deal:
Site-Specific Theatre
4.30.12 3:00PM
Last week, I opened up a conversation on #2AMt asking, “What
is it about site-specific theatre that people love so much?” I received a few
responses:
“Good question. I prefer fantastic sets w/ my thtr.”
“Site-specific is the antidote to the cookie-cutter black
box.
A space that is very definitively one thing.”
“In the #foreplayplay case, people seem to love the
hyper-realness
of it, how they forget it’s a play.”
On April 20th we held a reading of Sean
Pomposello’s newest play, Barbicide, at
Moustache Tonsorial. Moustache is a small, vintage-inspired barbershop in
Greenwich Village. You may remember that Barbicide is an adaptation of the Sweeney Todd/String
of Pearls legend. The audience turnout and
reaction to the reading was an extreme positive. This lead me to wonder how
large a role the site-specific aspect of the reading played into the overall
reception of the piece.
On various levels I agree with @MichaelSeel, @Playwrightsteve
and @MariahMacCarthy. Typically with a production I do tend to lean towards a
great scenic design. This mostly affects me during an actual staging as opposed
to a reading, but I am a fan of a fantastic set. From what I have realized, it can
be more affordable (especially in Manhattan) to use a site-specific venue as opposed to a theatre space. In which
case, I agree with @Playwrightsteve that site-specific theatre is a solution to
the more “generic” black-box productions that are staged. The hyper-reality of
being location specific does intrigue an audience. For some reason, there is a
level of truth that supports or validates the theatre piece.
As I watched the audience hang out in the barbershop
awaiting the start of the reading, many asked “Why choose a barbershop?” To be
honest, we really just wanted to establish a fun environment for our audience
to interact and enjoy a new piece of theatre. Instead of over-thinking an idea, our “plan” was established
from a much more simple point of view: “Sweeney Todd/Barbicide
is about a barber | Barbicide is used in barbershops | Let’s do this reading in
a barbershop!”
Sometimes, the more casual the event, the more educational
it can become. As we used Moustache to learn about the play and how it can be
received, my mind began turning with ideas. This is my number one reason to
produce readings, it allows the creative team an opportunity to hear the words.
I began to notice the parallel between an old-fashioned barbershop quartet and
our four performers. I quickly realized the possibility of Barbicide being a play exclusively performed in Manhattan
barbershops.
It turns out that site-specific theatre can also be a
positive for the location you select. Moustache Tonsorial is positioned on a
busy corner of Greenwich Avenue and is surrounded by large picture windows. Not
only did a decent amount of audience members watch from the outside, but the
reading provoked numerous people passing by to go in the next day for a
haircut!
I’m excited to announce that Moustache Tonsorial and The
Theatre Project work very well together, because we have been invited to
perform Barbicide on a bi-monthly basis.
As we continue developing Barbicide,
Moustache will become our home-base. I am looking forward to using the
barbershop to further identify aspects of the production that are yet to be
realized.
Perhaps site-specific theatre serves a greater purpose in
building an audience and buzz for a production, prior to bringing it to the
stage. In any event, the goal is to continue providing an entertaining evening of contemporary theatre to
those who appreciate it. Maintaining a transparent developmental process also
allows our audience to return and recognize any modifications made to the
script.
I hope to see you at our next reading of Barbicide on May 9 at
8:30 PM at Moustache Tonsorial. It’s a new twist on Fleet street!
-Christian
The director's notebook is a blog Christian Amato started through theatre projected in order to allow people to see how a younger director approaches his work.
The director's notebook is a blog Christian Amato started through theatre projected in order to allow people to see how a younger director approaches his work.
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