“ Its storytelling at its best Its about inclusion families friendships the relationship between fathers and sons
parents and kids .” — Gary Stanford, Jr., director of Kinky Boots
on the mountain used to be reliable. Now we’ve gotten used to dealing with the unpredictable,” says Eileen Grady, Mountain Play’s executive director and artistic producer. “And there’s increased costs—and attendance. Since the pandemic, theatergoers have been slow to return.” In the past, the amphitheater would be at capacity. For 2022’s production of Gypsy , it was 25% full, and the following year for Into the Woods that figure was 30%. Two-thirds of Mountain Play’s budget is derived from ticket sales. To control expenses and offset the effect of lower attendance, this year there will be four performances instead of six. The attendance drop off is not just a Mountain Play issue. It’s the same nationwide. Seems theatergoers have become accustomed to staying at home streaming or viewing Netflix from the couch. This has resulted in a pandemic of a different sort—loneliness, isolation and a lack of connection. United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murty, in a recent advisory, says that even prior to the pandemic approximately half of adults in the U.S. reported experiencing loneliness. Murty laid out a framework with recommendations to address the problem. One was for communities to invest in, and support, institutions that bring people together—i.e., the Mountain Play.
The challenges of staging a musical production at anytime, anywhere are daunting. Toss in a mountaintop setting and the challenge ramps. Planning begins over a year in advance. The show is selected, rights obtained, the musical director and choreographer hired. Costumes are made. Props are built. There’s casting and rehearsals. And transportation for ticketholders to the semi-secluded amphitheater needs to be arranged. Then, on opening day, everything falls into place. As the orchestra strikes a chord, Broadway comes to the mountain. Audiences of all ages watch, mesmerized. And yet, after the cast takes its final bow and the applause fades, there’s little time for celebration. Preparations for the next season kick in. …the challenges There are formidable challenges that come with staging a musical. Behind the scenes at the Mountain Play there’s a full- time staff, 170 part-time employees and 300 volunteers to assist. The annual budget is $1.5 million. Monies come from an annual fundraising gala, grants and ticket sales. In recent years, there have been different kinds of challenges. There’s climate change for one. “The weather
In its early 20th-century infancy, the venue could only be accessed via gravity cars on ‘the crookedest railroad in the world.’
The 3,750-seat Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre was built through the WPA’s Civilian Conservation Corps and completed in 1940.
44 NorthBaybiz
April 2024
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