Right before our lives completely changed this year, a closed theater in Texas turned its parking lot into a drive-in for some outdoor live performances, and the shows were packed with cars. Unfortunately, things escalated quickly when new restrictions were set by the state as the nasty virus was spreading around the country.
Luckily, the Plaza Theatre Company in Cleburne decided to make lemonade out of lemons, “the show must go on” as they say. To respect social distancing as the madness continued, this little theatre moved its stage to online streaming.
Figuring Out Alternatives
JaceSon Barrus, the theater’s artistic director, recently shared in an interview on CNN, “Obviously, it was time for us to try and figure out some alternatives, we wanted to figure out a way to continue to keep our staff paid and remain viable in the public eye.” Before the madness around the pandemic started, the shows were broadcasted through the radio. The network claimed that the theater OK’d the unusual setup with local authorities. The shows lined up about 100 cars to each performance.
The End Of Retro-Style Shows
The situation around the country started to get worse and worse. They had no choice but to cancel the retro-style shows and move their production to the online platform available to them. Theater fans were able to catch these shows on the Plaza Theatre Company’s YouTube and Facebook pages. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support,” Barrus told CNN. “We’re all heartsick and struggling with the challenges we’re all facing right now and to see people pulling for each other and caring about each other has been… gratifying.”
Growing Pandemic
The cases of contagion became worse in the state of Texas in the past few days. As a result, many theaters have had to close, transitioning their plays and musicals online. In London, the Globe Theatre is streaming pre-recorded tapings of some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, including “Twelfth Night” and “Merchant of Venice,” and the app BroadwayHD is streaming performances of “Cats” and “The King and I.” So stay home, and enjoy the show!