Theaters across the country currently remain closed due to COVID-19, but in Rock Hill, the Old Town Theatre Company has brought a piece of live entertainment back to the community.
“We were in the midst of a show, Alice in Wonderland, when COVID hit,” said Evan Goetz, artistic director for Old Town Theatre Company. “So, we were trying to think of how we could do something related to theatre that’s safe and socially distant; that’s where Sidewalk Shakespeare was kind of born.”
Sidewalk Shakespeare consists of three scenes from different Shakespeare plays, each performed in front of three nearby businesses every 15 – 20 minutes, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. “The goal is to watch the scene, then shop or browse in the store, and then go down to the next business and check them out,” Goetz said.
OTTC presented Sidewalk Shakespeare on Aug. 8 and 22, and plans to perform again on Sep. 12 and 26.
OTTC is also partnering with the businesses serving as the backdrops for their scenes, with each venue offering promotions. For the Sep. 12 performance “we are partnering with a store called Hill Rocks, which is a crystal and rock shop downtown, Player 1-Up, which is an arcade-bar, and Flipside Restaurant.” Goetz said.
On Sep. 12, Player 1-Up will be offering free admission to adults over 21 and a $5 ‘Family Day’ to those under 21. Hill Rocks is offering 10 percent off an entire purchase, and a free gift. Flipside Restaurant is offering 20 percent off an entire order.
The Sidewalk Shakespeare production on Sep. 26 will be at the Warehouses on White, and will be a little different than the previous performances.
“We have an ensemble of about six to eight people that will be singing three Shakespearean music settings from sonnets or plays,” Goetz said. “We have another artist that’s actually a Winthrop student, Gordon Perkins, who will be playing the guitar and singing a few songs that are Shakespearean texts. And we have a few monologues as well.”
“I’ve been given the freedom to compose whatever I want for the show,” said Gordon Perkins, a senior psychology major and Sidewalk Shakespeare actor. “I’m really glad that I get to contribute in that way because that’s something I love doing, as well as being able to perform as an actor and a musician at the same time.”
All individuals involved with Sidewalk Shakespeare are required to wear masks during scenes and remain safe outside of rehearsals and shows.
Emily O’Regan, a Sidewalk Shakespeare actor and senior theatre acting major, said acting with a mask presented challenges. “It takes away half the face so you have to be just animated through the eyes, which is something I was struggling with. Also, with projection, we have to make sure we’re extra loud,” O’Regan said. “It definitely feels like there’s more of a barrier, and it’s a little bit more uncomfortable.”
Another thing O’Regan and fellow actors across the country have struggled with during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the absence of live theatre.
“It’s been tough, you know? I’ve been doing theatre for about 14 years, and for it all to just be cut short and removed, it’s been tough,” O’Regan said. “I’ve had to have a lot of tough conversations with my mom like, ‘If theatre doesn’t come back what are you going to do with your life?’ It’s just kind of scary. But I’m hopeful it will come back.”
“Another struggle has just been trying to get back into the swing of things with acting. I feel like we’ve all been out of practice, you know, because we haven’t been able to be around each other as much,” said Perkins. “It’s very important, I think, that we’re just keeping theatre alive. Mostly it’s just online now. I’m not really worried about theatre going away, staying involved in that way is helping people keep that passion alive for theatre.”
The next Sidewalk Shakespeare performance will be on Sep. 12 in front of Hill Rocks, Player 1-Up, and Flipside Restaurant.
Photo by Gwen Manten
