PITTSFIELD, MA - After several months of all U.S. theaters being shuttered, two small but reputable companies in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Barrington Stage Company and Berkshire Theater Group, have garnered national attention by becoming the first union theaters to once again offer live and in-person performances.
“Someone said, 'Oh, you know, Pittsfield is the epicenter of theater right now.' And I'm laughing because in the past, before we came here, people said, 'Why are you going to Pittsfield?'” said Julianne Boyd, the artistic director at Barrington Stage Company in Massachusetts. “It's not known as an arts community. And so it's been exciting that we are the first.”
"We are used to working with, trying to improve the safety of theater. We think that sometimes, we will be able to approve projects for theater to prove that it's still here and alive and that you can see it in person," said Mary McColl, the executive director of the Actors' Equity Association, the trade union that represents Barrington's performers. "I don't think we can make anything pandemic-proof. We can't make any space COVID-19-proof. However, I think that if we have a particular project that allows for us to do the work outside, distance the audience away from the stage, re-imagine what the staging might look like, so that live performance can happen, that's a hopeful situation. And like any piece of hope that can happen for society for the United States right now, we think is important," McColl said.
In order to formulate a plan to keep everyone healthy, Barrington Stage Company enlisted the help of doctors at the Berkshire Medical Center. Following guidelines laid out by Actors Equity they set up many safety protocols, including weekly rapid testing for employees, socially distanced seating, masks for all audience members, and a state-of-the-art air ventilation system.
"After we came up with all of those ideas, then we thought, 'What kind of shows do we have to do?' And we realized the simplest thing would be, we would start with a one-person show," said Boyd.
For Barrington's production, Boyd cast BSC Associate Artist Mark H. Dold in the titular role, making him the first professional actor to perform live theater in the U.S. since the shutdown.
"Being the first American equity actor to perform during the pandemic is the most incredibly bizarre experience I have ever had. A friend of mine said to me, 'Wow, what a strange footnote to a Wikipedia page!' My main scene partner is the audience, while I'm looking out at people who I can't see three, two-thirds of their faces," said Dold.
Despite their efforts to create extensive safety protocols, an amended pandemic response plan by Massachusett’s Governor Charlie Baker barred BSC from performing "Harry Clarke" inside of their theater. Be it that "the show must go on," the company was forced to think outside of the box and move their production into a tent, which they constructed in a nearby parking lot.
Artistic producer Branden Huldeen showed what an audience member can expect.
"So when they arrive at the Tartell Family Outdoor Theater, they will experience a lot of space as a very large lot. We give them extra time to come in so they can come in at their pace. We have dots all over the floor so they can say six feet apart, hand sanitizer everywhere. And they also know that we have been, we spray everything down with bleach," said Huldeen.
When asked if she thought this season at Barrington was a success, Boyd said she wasn't even considering that.
"I'm thinking of doing really good theater. If we can help lead the way, just to use some of what we've discovered, I think it's exciting for theater in general in this country," Boyd concluded.