Community Theatre Versus COVID-19: The Center’s Creative Comeback
Between the destructive impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the economic recession, the state of the world is still in recovery. The total shutdown of society had ravaged the day-to-day routine of daily life, and the performing arts took the biggest hit. With Broadway, the epicenter of theatrical performance going dark, many community theatres and high-performing arts programs followed suit.
Some braver playhouses and arts centers attempted to fight the restrictions and find ways to reinvent the wheel but faced opposition at every corner. Obstacles blocked every path for many theatres whether it be the Omicron Variant, stricter mask laws, or a member getting COVID. Anxiety ran rampant throughout casts and crews alike, resulting in them shutting down or going completely dark.
One theatre, in particular, fought hard to keep spirits alive and had a tremendous recovery throughout the pandemic and recession. They faced their fair share of obstacles and were one step ahead. The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck shattered the expectations of the average playhouse during the pandemic and gained notoriety with their creative ways to hold shows despite restrictions. Their passion and drive as a committed team of theater enthusiasts catalyzed their season of shows during the pandemic. They faced early oppression due to the numerous amount of restrictions that the CDC had mandated to decrease contact.
Lou Trapani, the Artistic and Managing Director at The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, was painfully honest regarding the impact that COVID had on the center.
“We shut down once the lockdown happened, but we continued to find ways to overcome this by streaming online classes, producing and writing original plays, and broadcasting teleplays.”
Moving forward, the Center called for the construction of an outdoor stage, which would later be integral for their success during the pandemic. After struggling for months, the outdoor performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream during the summer of 2020 was the exact catalyst they needed to get back on track. The show exceeded the expectations of The Center having over 200 people attend, kickstarting a creative summer tradition with ways to spread joy during the pandemic. They continued this process for the next two summers adapting their season to outside conditions. Lou commented on how they weaved their way through the pandemic as the weather got colder: “We put on a production of Christmas Carol in the dead of winter. We were able to transmit the sound of the play via a radio.”
This ingenuity and creativity is exactly the type of stuff that kept the Center alive during the struggles of the pandemic.
In the fall of 2022, Kinky Boots sold about 120–130 tickets, which was their biggest house following the slow reconstruction after the pandemic. Regarding ticket sales, a common theme noticed by cast and crew alike was that sales increased greatly following the pandemic as restrictions began to be lifted. Bigger names and musicals would draw in more people, and their Shakespeare shows typically attracted smaller crowds.
Fast forward two and a half years to April of 2023, COVID restrictions and mask mandates soon began to fade, The Center of Performing Arts at Rhinebeck is about to put on their production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and they have made a tremendous recovery compared to other community theatres. Twelfth Night was considered and highly regarded as a leading gemstone among the production team and cast members. When speaking to Lou Trapini regarding the comparative difference between the success of Twelfth Night and other major musicals they have put on he said, “The show did very well, but it did not do as well as other popular shows averaging 60–70 people. They’ve gotta know the play.”
Despite this, however, this was the first Shakespeare show put on by The Center that was not a popular title, yet it still was one of the most popular Shakespeare shows they have put on.
Director of Twelfth Night at The Center, Peter Risafi, provided some intellectual insights regarding not only his process as a director but also his struggles as the “new kid on the block” coming in as a new director.
“The experience was a good one for all of us, I never positioned myself as a know-it-all, and I started by saying I am a person who can always learn and benefit from learning new things.” This attitude allowed Peter to quickly join the inner circle of close friends at The Center. “We spent a lot of time discussing what the play was about and unpacking the lines that they were saying in terms of Shakespeare’s loquacious verbiage.”
“Speak to each person differently, find out where the person is, and meet them there.”
Risafi had started his acting training in a 3 program in London. He later came to NY and worked as an actor and worked on various non-paid projects within theatre until he transitioned into a television-focused career. When asked what struggles he faced throughout the rehearsal process, Peter commented: “The hardest thing for us, there is a shorthand in which people speak, and I was stepping in as the new person into this well-oiled machine without being able to understand the vernacular.”
Another integral member of the production team was a long-time member of The Center, Assistant Stage Manager, Wendy Urban-Mead, who reflected on her previous performances and experience at The Center. A wearer of many hats, Wendy has done everything imaginable at The Center from acting to a quick change helper to assistant stage manager, which speaks leagues to her insight regarding their rebound after the pandemic.
“Theatre is a contact sport; it is so physically connected and a lot of us do theatre because it is a place where people can feel human and interact with one another physically.” The pandemic inhibited this physical and mental connection, but they followed guidelines and kept doing theatre despite these restrictions.
Regardless of the slow start, The Center had during the pandemic, Wendy additionally commented on the success of Twelfth Night. “This show was touched by magic, I think. Peter was a teacher with a specific artistic vision that brought us to meet. The Center as a physical entity, total support in terms of the infrastructure.”
All in all, The Center of Performing Arts at Rhinebeck and their production of Twelfth Night represents the creative and careful steps that The Center took in face of great adversity and the importance of the transformative power that the arts have in bringing communities together.
