By Alisha and Jason Hagey
Since mid-March, doors of theatres have been shuttered. Today, September 17, 2020, saw Salt Lake Acting Company opening its doors to us, like greeting an old friend. This newly conceived “49 ¾ Season” is the warm hug and welcome home we’ve all been longing for. The unique season lineup includes both digital streaming and in-person viewing options. SLAC, innovative like always, comes to the rescue of its patrons. Theatre is a community experience but a sense of community has been difficult for the last several months. Answering the call to bring the community back to theatre, SLAC has been inspired by the innovative possibilities of streaming content and bringing their usual sense of human honesty and hilarity to our homes. In other words, theatre is coming to the community to fill the void so many of us have endured in isolation.
The season opens with an all-new digital series titled SLAC Digital Shorts. The 10-part series features works by staff members Justin Ivie and Natalie Keezer, in addition to seven crowdsourced scripts (selected from 150 submissions) written by either local playwrights or playwrights with Utah ties (Olivia Custodio, Nicholas Dunn, Troy Deutsch, Ava Kostia, Tito Livas, Heather Nowlin, and Jerry Straley). The first video of the series, “Online,” with lyrics by Ivie, premieres on SLAC’s YouTube channel September 18. The subsequent nine videos being released throughout the fall will fill our autumn with what promises to be true entertainment. If “Online” sets the precedent, you can expect these digital shorts to be timely and delightful.
In October, SLAC presents, “American Dreams” (created by Leila Buck and Tamilla Woodard), an interactive virtual production where the audience chooses who will become our new neighbor. “American Dreams” is a playful and immersive performance piece, where the only way immigrants can gain entry, is through a gameshow. This show is a production of New York’s Working Theater in partnership with Washington D.C.’s Round House Theatre and Salt Lake Acting Company. “It’s a Game. It’s a Show. It’s America!” It will be offered as a free gift to SLAC subscribers and a pay-what-you-can option for single ticket buyers.
Following “American Dreams,” SLAC is doing something they have never done before: offering a filmed production from their theatre archives layered with an interactive streaming experience directed by Penelope Caywood. Originally produced in collaboration with Flying Bobcat Theatrical Laboratory and the Red Fred Project, SLAC’s production of “Climbing With Tigers” is the story of Blue, a little black bird who dreams of someday flying. Based on the Nathan Glad and Dallas Graham book, Troy Deutsch adapted this tale for the stage. Caywood directs an all-new supplemental educational component for this virtual run in November and December. Many performances have been designated specifically for Title I Kindergarten through Second Grade classes throughout Utah. It will also be a gift to SLAC subscribers and their families and a pay-what-you-can option for single ticket buyers.
SLAC’s first show of 2021 will be a digital production of a title for which rights are still being negotiated. The production, a Utah premiere playing February 3-14, will be announced at a later date. It will be offered as a gift to SLAC subscribers and a pay-what-you-can option for single ticket buyers.
Over a year after its original world premiere was delayed due to the pandemic, Elaine Jarvik’s “Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet” will mark the beginning of the in-person portion of the season. The production, recently honored by the prestigious 2020 Kilroys List, will be offered in person and via live streaming through a partnership with The Davey Foundation. The world premiere will now run March 24-May 2. On the morning of February 21, 1895, the day after the great Frederick Douglass died, Susan B. Anthony shows up on his widow’s doorstep. She is there to grieve – but is she also feeling guilty? “Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet” is an exploration of feminism and race, asking “what compromises should you make in pursuit of a cause?”
From May into June, as part of the NNPN Rolling World Premiere, Audrey Cefaly’s poignant southern comedy, “Alabaster”, will be offered both in-person and via livestream. Three years after losing her entire family to an Alabama tornado (and nearly losing her life too), a severely scarred and agoraphobic artist named June and her two goats, Weezy and Bib, are making the best of life after the disaster. Into their world comes Alice, a lesbian photographer taking photos of scarred women. She too carries her own scars and ignites a sexually tense relationship with June. Winner of the David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize, “Alabaster” explores both the struggle of artists and the meaning of the art they create as part of that struggle. This play about healing is not one to be missed.
Summer 2021 will bring an all-new theatrical experience. Saturday’s Voyeur bids a fond farewell but welcomes in the newly titled #SLACabaret. This will feature the writing team of multidisciplinary theatre artist Martine Kei Green-Rogers, beloved Utah theatre veteran Aaron Swenson, and multi-Manhattan Association of Cabaret Award-winner Amy Wolk. This will also be offered both in-person and via livestream July 14-Aug 15. Step inside SLAC’s Upstairs Theatre, transformed into an immersive nightclub environment for an evening of laughter, music, and community.
Executive Artistic Director Cynthia Fleming said this “49 ¾ is a fitting nod to the unique hybrid of a season we’re prepared to offer our adventurous audiences.” She isn’t wrong. With digital content, interactive shows, immersive theatre, an exciting new bridge of children’s storytelling, and a livestream option for the 2021 season, SLAC is rethinking what theatre looks like and how we have all come to define it. They are pioneering, once more, art and culture in our community. “The year ahead of us is a chance for SLAC to do what it has always done best: rise to the occasion, adapt, and thrive in adversity. The past six months have strengthened and emboldened our team. We are hitting the ground running and are more determined than ever to propel Salt Lake Acting Company into its next 50 years.” SLAC is back with a guarantee of excellence that has only grown with each of its years. This year will be nothing short of miraculous – fitting for our current times when we need a miracle more than ever.
Salt Lake Acting Company Presents their 49 ¾ Season
Salt Lake Acting Company – 168 West 500 North, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84103 and online in homes everywhere
Season subscriptions are currently available by calling SLAC’s box office. Single tickets will be announced at a later date.
Contact: 801-363-7522
SLAC Website
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