Although there was a rise in performing art theater closures due to COVID-19, the Long Beach Shakespeare Company (LBSC) continued to put on virtual performances of stage, literary, and radio classics. On February 26, the company began streaming their production of the Shakespearian classic, “Romeo and Juliet”.
The play follows two star crossed lovers from feuding families, Romeo (Conor Sheehan) and Juliet (Natasha Renae Potts), who fight for a chance to be together.
LBSC was one of the many performing art theaters that have had to close their doors to audience members in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We can’t have live shows anymore, and we can’t have people in the theater to see the shows. Our adjustment to that problem was to start this streaming service,” said LBSC Artistic Director Brando Cutts.
The company has been able to fund the production of their online shows such as Romeo and Juliet with a grant they received from the RuMBa Foundation of Long Beach. The grant was given to art organizations to allow them to virtually produce educational content.
LBSC has begun to offer virtual learning resources for their productions released during the pandemic. Resources include educational packages specially designed for educators and their students.
“We are an all volunteer theater and our only revenue source is our ticket sales and donations. I don’t think we would have survived without the grant,” said LBSC Producer Dana Leach.
LBSC cast and crew agree that COVID-19 safety restrictions have altered the theater’s show production process.
Most of the rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet were held virtually via Zoom. Actors did script read throughs and character development entirely online.
“We have very little time with (the cast) all working physically together,” Leach said.
The actors were only able to prepare for the play in person during a few rehearsals and a very short tech week. The cast abided by COVID-19 safety precautions throughout these in person rehearsals; they were all fully masked until filming day and passed daily temperature checks and questionnaires.
There were also efforts to prevent cross contamination from occurring on set. Each cast member had their own basket designated for their props and shared props were handled with extra sanitization procedures.
The production’s costume team also thoroughly cleaned and dried every actor’s costume(s) in between changes to ensure other items on the rack were not being contaminated.
“Keeping the actors healthy is very important to us. We want them to feel very comfortable and safe,” said Leach.
One of the biggest challenges the cast had to face during this production was dealing with the absence of an audience.
“You fuel the audience just as much as they fuel you. We miss that. We miss having our people there. I miss my regular patrons and seeing their faces,” said Cutts.
Roberto Williams, who plays Tybalt, believes that without an audience there’s a bit of magic missed.
“There’s a different energy when they’re actually there. You can feel that they are with you on the journey,” said Williams.
Despite there being an empty audience during filming, the actors still found a source of support and feedback. “Instead of being able to rely on an audience for laughter and an audience for applause, we (the cast) provided that for each other and pushed each other forward,” said Cutts.
The actors believe that there is a great importance for the performing arts amid the pandemic.
“I think especially during the pandemic, we’re learning the value of what the arts are to us. It gives us all a bit of a rest from everyday life, which right now is pretty tedious,” said Williams.
Potts believes that Romeo and Juliet is a couple of hours of escape into a different world, a different life, and a different story.
LBSC’s production of Romeo and Juliet will be available to stream online until March 28. Tickets are $35 per household, and viewers will be sent a link to the recorded production and a digital program upon purchase.