Community theaters are getting ready to return with smaller casts and audiences
They're returning to in-person shows this summer and fall, but not the typical big musicals. The changes made out of necessity are giving theaters a chance to tackle different types of material.
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Jackie Grigg of Portland auditions at Biddeford's City Theater on May 11 for "The Marvelous Wonderettes." Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
Here’s another way the pandemic is reshaping our lives: It’s probably going to be a while before we will sit through “Annie” again.
At least for now, many community theaters – long the domain of the big-cast, Broadway-style musicals that involve everyone from the kids to the grandparents and sometimes the family dog – are going small, producing non-musical plays and musicals with small casts, some of which are being trimmed to 90 minutes or less. Although the changes were made out of necessity, theaters are welcoming the opportunity to tackle different types of material and to try more inclusive approaches to casting to bring more diversity to their stages.