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Bonjour Citygaragistes,
I am excited to tell you that I have been in rehearsal for the last several weeks for our first production since the shut down. It is a late play by Eugene O’Neill, “Hughie.” It’s a beautiful piece, one of his last works, and a haunting reflection on loneliness and loss, the desperate need to connect when we feel isolated and on the edge of despair. It felt to me particularly appropriate as we emerge, ever so slowly, out of the pandemic. It also has a small cast, just two actors, and so has been easier to manage from a safety and health concern.
We had originally thought to open in October for a normal, six-week run, but that was before the recent surge in Covid cases due to the Delta variant. Of course our highest priority is the safety of our actors and you, our audience. So what we’ve decided to do instead is partner with a wonderful, nationwide theatre streaming service called Broadway on Demand, which has over 300,000 subscribers. They will be streaming the production for six weeks, beginning Friday, October 8th and running through Sunday, November 14th. Tickets will be $15.
But we also would like to do a very limited, safety conscious opening weekend with actual live performance. There will be three, live, in-person performances: Friday, October 8th, Saturday, October 9th, both at 8:00pm, and Sunday October 10th at 4:00pm. Tickets will be $30. These will happen at City Garage but with strict Covid safety protocols in place. Only fully vaccinated people can attend and masks must be worn. Proof of vaccination status, with either your vaccination card or an image of it on your phone, needs to be shown at the door. We will limit the number of people to less than 50% capacity to allow for adequate spacing between seats. Prior to that weekend, the theater and ventilation system will be cleaned and sanitized according to Covid-prevention guidelines by a professional service that specializes in Covid cleaning. Hand sanitizer will be available and social distancing will be practiced throughout. In short, you can be assured that we will take every step ensure your safety and that of our actors.
Look next week for all the information on how you can buy tickets in advance for streaming “Hughie” or how you can attend the live performance, if you so choose. There will be links and everything you need to know to be part of our first Cty Garage show since the pandemic began!
In the meantime, we’re continuing our mini-festival of Ionesco as “The Chairs” is back for one more week. If you missed it last week, it’s another classic from the master of theatre of the Absurd. An elderly couple frantically assemble chairs so they can receive a crowd of guests who are coming to hear an Orator reveal the man’s “discovery”–which might actually be the meaning of life. It’s another of his early works, and this is our production from 2009 in the old space. Please share the link with your friends if you like!
We also have a new episode of our weekly talk show about theater and politics with Steven Leigh Morris, “Animal Farm.” This week Steven talks to actor Leo Marks about the continuing efforts within the LA theater community to advocate for the passage of California Senate Bill 805, which would help small nonprofits comply with the new financial demands of AB5.
Be a Patreon! Your support means so much and can start as low as just $2 a month! Help keep us going!
Here’s the link to our Patreon Page.
Merci to our donors of this last week, Nina Kamberos, David Burton, and Wendy Radford. We so much appreciate your support. Please join them!
Stay safe, get vaccinated, and we look forward to seeing you for “Hughie”—either through streaming or at City Garage!
Love,
Frederique