There has been no shortage of life changes during the global pandemic and the world of the theatre has not escaped that. However, no more live performing to packed houses up on Cates Hill has not stopped ‘Theatre on the Isle’ from providing Bowen with quality play production.
Since April 6, TOTI has been producing online theatre ‘meetings’ on Zoom, using local actors, naturally, and performing a play reading virtually every Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. They plan another two readings before taking a hiatus for a month or so.
TOTI board of directors members spearheading the project, Kat Stephens and Calder Stewart, say it has been a joyful ride and both emphasize it’s about fun, fun for the actors and the audience of islanders who click the link and join them online for live theatre.
There have been technical glitches, like the time an actor lost their internet feed as the play began, missing their ‘entrance’ (removing a cover from the computer camera) but reconnecting in time to deliver their first line. But with that emphasize on fun it’s all remained, well, fun.
With a dollop of learning thrown in.
“We began with The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard,” Stephens, who has appeared in dozens of plays locally, told the Undercurrent. “It’s lengthy for a one-act, lots of characters, and a twisty plot, and was far trickier than I realized to stage in this online format.
“So we opted for smaller casts and simpler plots moving forward, and tried splitting a couple of full-length shows over two weeks: Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, and another Stoppard piece called Rough Crossing.”
Stephens, a recreation programmer with the municipality by day, said the “short, punchy comedies” they turned to include The Brute by Anthon Chekhov and, last week, Pyramus and Thisbe, the play-within a play from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
“We even did the world premiere of Wingmen, an original play by Bowen’s own Frazer Elliott,” Stephens said, noting that the video for that short play is available for viewing on their Facebook page.
Their opening show featured a who’s who of long-time island TOTI actors like Heather Hodson, Tina Nielsen, Helen Wallwork and Martin Clarke. Other veterans, like Maureen Sawasy, Jackie Minns, Colleen O’Neil, Tanya Voormeij-de Zwart and David Cameron, have played since. Some of the younger actors appearing in a TOTI online Zoom production include Annabelle Coon, the ever-amusing Davin Killy, Sarah Cormier, Bev Rapley, Morgan Darcy and noted island juggler, Tobi Volkmann. They’ve used in total some 25 Bowen thespians.
The cast meets online for a brief rehearsal and, for the most part, that’s it. Show time comes and scripts are arranged somewhere easy to read, most actors arranging them onscreen next to the minimized view of the other actors. Faces come and go as entrances and exits are achieved.
They get upwards of 30 online audience computers (often entire families watch) and one feature Stephens and Stewart enjoy is the comments after each performance.
“Mostly it’s been enthusiastic messages like ‘Bravo!’ ‘Well done!’ ‘You’ve always been my favourite child,’ and ‘You’re so pretty!’,” Stephens says. “Most of these are written by my mother and Calder’s mother, though, so take what you will from that.
“Paul Hooson and Jude Neale send us some really lovely heartwarming kudos via email after each reading, and sometimes they tell us how their dog Molly felt about the show too, which is a rush as she really is quite the critic.”
To attend an online play meeting/reading all the prospective audience member does is go to TOTI’s Facebook page and click on a link. You can also sign up for TOTI’s newsletter and have the link sent to your inbox.
Stewart notes that when the pandemic is over “and the day comes that we can safely put on a live theatre performance – we will absolutely be ready.”
