More than a year after its development originally began, Fear of Buildings by Sam Bible-Sullivan is finally premiering—virtually, of course! Originally commissioned to be development throughout the 2019-2020 season and produced in spring 2020, the performances of Fear of Buildings unfortunately had to be cancelled last year due to COVID-19. Now in virtual format, Fear of Buildings is ready to get you laughing as you question your entire existence. “In the spring of 2019, the playwright, Sam, and I went to SETC [Southeastern Theatre Conference] where we read an early iteration of the script to a group of writers for feedback,” director Anish Pinnamaraju said of his first exposure to the script. “Back then, the script was only a couple pages long and had a completely different ending. The writers loved the concept but had one piece of feedback: make the script longer. A year of development later and we had a fully realized script and a production in the works. But with COVID, that production had to be cancelled. And I couldn't just let that happen. I've seen this script in all its forms and I knew we could still bring this to life.” While working through Zoom is not the way that the show had originally been conceived, the team found some unexpected benefits. Cast member Lauren Flors, playing Tyne, said, “Every time we figure out how to work around a new technical issue, the whole crew cheers and it feels great! It’s certainly frustrating that we can’t perform this show in person, the way it was intended to be performed, but I think our willingness to work around the difficulties of Zoom really speaks to how important it is to us that this show is put on.” Of course, there are technical issues to worry about. "No actor on a stage suddenly pops out of existence, but with a bad enough internet, anything is possible on Zoom,” Pinnamaraju said. However, he feels that they’ve been able to use this challenge to their advantage. “I think this will be an opportunity to see how far we can push the envelope when it comes to digital theatre,” he said. After all the writing, rewriting, and the cancellation of the original production, playwright Sam Bible-Sullivan is excited to see the show finally produced. “It's the first full length play I ever wrote, and I could not be prouder of it,” he said. “And, surprisingly enough, I think the play is actually perfect for the times we're currently facing. So, maybe the delay wasn't so bad after all.” Flors, who was cast in the original production, also felt that the timing had worked out, saying: “We’re all experiencing a really strange time right now and surely questioning a lot of what we thought we knew. Fear of Buildings will make you question your reality and understanding of life in a whole new way, and hopefully, help relieve you from the quarantine blues.” “People should come watch Fear of Buildings to laugh and to question,” said Pinnamaraju. “To release the pent-up frustration of being trapped in a room for months. To challenge themselves with a new form of theatre and an incredible script. It's free and easy- you can even watch the show from your bed! With 3 nights to catch the show, there are plenty of opportunities to give it a chance.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
October 2020
Categories |