subject: Outdoor Theater [print this page] Outdoor Theater Outdoor Theater
How does theater relate to the environment? When you take it back to its roots, it does. Stuart Handloff, Artistic Director and Producer of The Great American Laughing Stock Company (GALSCO) wanted to direct plays. With no venue in Steamboat Springs for him to perform in, he took the show outdoors.
Currently held in Spring Creek Park in Steamboat Springs, CO, Handloff at first thought "this is a cool idea," referring to the outdoor space, but couldn't quite express what it was that changed theater by bringing it outdoors. Today he can. Today, he understands that outdoor theater has a different kind of energy. It brings together the "rehearsed and the natural, the improvised and the unpredictable, the natural and the theatrical."
GALSCO's performances are much like in the days of Shakespeare. Admittance is free and people have about a 15 minute walk to access the venue. It is away from the urban and even the suburban with no noise and no cars. Set amongst a grassy opening, there is a river that flows through the space with hills of trees and embankments creating a natural amphitheater. The environment is used not only as a backdrop, but is sometimes incorporated into the plays. The format is Repertory Theater, meaning three different plays on three consecutive nights. The plays usually include a Shakespeare play, a musical and a third play often from a local playwright.
Guests are treated to sunshine and sometimes rain, which is what brings the element of unpredictability to the show. This past summer, during a performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream,' black clouds started gathering on the horizon. There was electricity in the air - literally. As the cast saw the storm getting closer, there was an urgency within the actors to finish the play. The audience may not have understood the urgency, but they felt it and it made the performance more electric. The clouds finally opened letting down a deluge of rain. In some ways, the timing couldn't be better as the interior story of the play was finished. However, there was one final scene remaining. Some people ran for their cars, but many people huddled under a single tented structure. The actors were soaking wet. As the rain began to let up, they gathered for the final scene. Dialogue was improvised to bring humor to the situation. The audience cheered for the spirit of the actors and the new repartee never to be seen again. "There was an intimate connection," says Handloff, "it was a real Shakespearean moment, one that neither the cast nor the audience will forget. It was a magic moment."
This year Handloff is looking at "As you Like it," There will be a devised piece, meaning the piece will basically be created and fleshed out during the course of a one month rehearsal time. Pieces develop according to whom the cast consists of and the strengths they all bring to the table.
GALSCO is extraordinary not only in that it is outdoor theater, but also that it is a blend of actors from New Zealand and Steamboat Springs and Colorado. All actors from New Zealand are established in their own right and bring their culture of small town, small country New Zealand to small town Steamboat Springs, CO.
GALSCO is a non-profit organization that relies on donations and grants for continued success. In order to give back to the community, the actors from New Zealand teach theater workshops to the local children to share their culture and experience and hopefully nurture a love of the theater.
If you want to check out GALSCO, head to Steamboat Springs. This year may see them expanding their performing space to the base of the ski area. They can also be found throughout July in the Botanic Garden, outdoors at the Library and of course, Spring Creek.
