2009 was the most prolific year in Silent Theatre’s history. The company devised four full-blown productions from scratch, debuted its open-run variety show, and participated in numerous contractual events throughout the year. The last production was an over-ambitious production presented at the Storefront Theatre downtown during the holiday season. The pressure valve was turned pretty high.
This was a production in which two of the actresses were tasked to perform a silks act - a skill neither of them possessed at the beginning of that rehearsal process - and do it in under six weeks. They delivered.
And the costume designer had her hands full with a large cast for which she sewed original costumes that were truly out of this world. She delivered.
There was a live band that wrote original music for the entire play. They delivered.
One of the actors broke his wrist the day before opening and the playwright had to step into the role. She definitely delivered.
But perhaps the biggest takeaway anecdote from that production was a deliciously frustrating realization (and those are quite frequent in our 20-year existence) that the full cast and band had never all been in the same room together until the opening night curtain. We devised a play that didn’t ever get the chance to run in full until it was in front of a sold-out crowd and critics. And so it goes. The show must, you know…
For those just tuning in, Silent Theatre is running a 20-year anniversary retrospective and dusting off the archives to publish one production a month whilst putting out a daily nostalgic social media post. You can follow us on IG or click on any of the images below for a broader snapshot.
Celebrate Silent Theatre’s 20th anniversary by subscribing or making a one-time tax-deductible donation to help kick-start our live presentations post-hiatus. #cureforthecommonbore
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