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Despite virus, SLP show will go on, albeit online

LISBON — Stage Left Players will present their online production of Ken Ludwig’s comedy, “Sherwood— the Adventures of Robin Hood” with 24-hour links Nov. 6-8 and 13-15. While the pandemic has closed the doors at the Trinity Playhouse to the general public, resident artistic director, Kandy Cleland became determined to keep community theatre going. “On a whim and with a thread of hope, I applied for the recording rights to Ken Ludwig’s brilliant comedy and was thrilled when Concord Theatricals gave the OK,” she said in a press release. Cleland said there were a few changes in the original cast that began rehearsing in February of 2020. “Still, it’s amazing that after seven months of shut down we only had to recast two of the principal roles. It was tougher to downsize the large cast of friends/extras who had enjoyed jumping in as Robin’s Merry Band.” For health and safety purposes, Cleland kept the cast small and busy with actors doubling, tripling and even quadrupling their roles. Daniel Huston of Salem wore the most “hats” in Sherwood. Huston’s career as a professional lighting designer in NYC had taken a dive with the Broadway shut down. Soon after he returned home he reached out to offer his help to mentor/friend Cleland who had directed him since the fourth grade. He jumped in as Sherwood’s stage manager/lighting designer with a cameo role, and ended up playing eight characters, finally stepping into the role of Friar Tuck. “He had so many quick costume changes that we incorporated them for laughs and to keep the flow of the show going.” The non-profit community theatre filmed its socially-distant romantic and swashbuckling production at the Trinity Playhouse in Lisbon. Creative staging with puppets — yes, puppets — allowed for smart and safe scene work. Cleland also called in her former Canfield student and stuck-at-home professional stuntman and coordinator, Jonathan Yurco, SAG/AFTRA. He managed to choreograph exciting sword combat where he utilized the stage, aisles, and even the balcony light booth. As to the 6 feet apart rule, Yurco said, “No worries. That’s how stuntmen roll all the time. We are always about staying safe no matter if it’s a car chase or a 40 foot fall from the top of a building. We can make sword and quarterstaff fights look incredible while staying completely safe.” The cast came to the playhouse with lines memorized, ready for stage directions. Once confident, the actors stepped into costumes and out of masks and the cameras rolled. Cleland now faces the task of editing hundreds of scenes, and adding a few surprises. In the end, she and the rest of the Stage Left Players hope that the online audience finds them and entertainment in their production. “We’ve amused ourselves. Now it’s time to find our expanded cyber-audience.” Cleland continues, “We hope to entertain our regular patrons and beyond. That’s happening! Our first online ticket sale was to a couple in Phoenix, Arizona! Heck, I tagged the playwright, Ken Ludwig, and he shared our promotional trailer! Now that’s exciting!” She maintains that Stage Left’s vision to inspire, transform and connect people through community theatre will continue as long as people care and enough dollars of support come in to pay the bills still associated with their historic venue. The 24-hour show links are available for online purchase at StageLeftPlayers.org. The cost is $10 per link, with purchasers encouraged to add $10 per person viewing, as if they were buying seats at the Trinity Playhouse.

LISBON — Stage Left Players will present their online production of Ken Ludwig’s comedy, “Sherwood– the Adventures of Robin Hood” with 24-hour links Nov. 6-8 and 13-15.

While the pandemic has closed the doors at the Trinity Playhouse to the general public, resident artistic director, Kandy Cleland became determined to keep community theatre going. “On a whim and with a thread of hope, I applied for the recording rights to Ken Ludwig’s brilliant comedy and was thrilled when Concord Theatricals gave the OK,” she said in a press release.

Cleland said there were a few changes in the original cast that began rehearsing in February of 2020. “Still, it’s amazing that after seven months of shut down we only had to recast two of the principal roles. It was tougher to downsize the large cast of friends/extras who had enjoyed jumping in as Robin’s Merry Band.”

For health and safety purposes, Cleland kept the cast small and busy with actors doubling, tripling and even quadrupling their roles. Daniel Huston of Salem wore the most “hats” in Sherwood. Huston’s career as a professional lighting designer in NYC had taken a dive with the Broadway shut down. Soon after he returned home he reached out to offer his help to mentor/friend Cleland who had directed him since the fourth grade. He jumped in as Sherwood’s stage manager/lighting designer with a cameo role, and ended up playing eight characters, finally stepping into the role of Friar Tuck. “He had so many quick costume changes that we incorporated them for laughs and to keep the flow of the show going.”

The non-profit community theatre filmed its socially-distant romantic and swashbuckling production at the Trinity Playhouse in Lisbon. Creative staging with puppets — yes, puppets — allowed for smart and safe scene work. Cleland also called in her former Canfield student and stuck-at-home professional stuntman and coordinator, Jonathan Yurco, SAG/AFTRA. He managed to choreograph exciting sword combat where he utilized the stage, aisles, and even the balcony light booth. As to the 6 feet apart rule, Yurco said, “No worries. That’s how stuntmen roll all the time. We are always about staying safe no matter if it’s a car chase or a 40 foot fall from the top of a building. We can make sword and quarterstaff fights look incredible while staying completely safe.”

The cast came to the playhouse with lines memorized, ready for stage directions. Once confident, the actors stepped into costumes and out of masks and the cameras rolled. Cleland now faces the task of editing hundreds of scenes, and adding a few surprises. In the end, she and the rest of the Stage Left Players hope that the online audience finds them and entertainment in their production.

“We’ve amused ourselves. Now it’s time to find our expanded cyber-audience.” Cleland continues, “We hope to entertain our regular patrons and beyond. That’s happening! Our first online ticket sale was to a couple in Phoenix, Arizona! Heck, I tagged the playwright, Ken Ludwig, and he shared our promotional trailer! Now that’s exciting!” She maintains that Stage Left’s vision to inspire, transform and connect people through community theatre will continue as long as people care and enough dollars of support come in to pay the bills still associated with their historic venue.

The 24-hour show links are available for online purchase at StageLeftPlayers.org. The cost is $10 per link, with purchasers encouraged to add $10 per person viewing, as if they were buying seats at the Trinity Playhouse.

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