Great Barrington Public Theater Presents "Bear Tales: Six Feet Together"
The Solo Performance Festival has morphed into a free, streaming program of works by theater professionals in our area.
Clockwise, from top left: Aimee Doherty, Rebecca Pidgeon, Mike Brady, David Mamet, Jessica Provenz, Angela Angeloch, Carl Sprague, and Anne Undeland Photos provided by Great Barrington Public Theater
Nobody would have wished COVID-19 and its ensuing complications on anyone, but it’s undeniable that its strictures have created opportunities for both artists and audiences. While local theaters have cancelled or postponed their summer seasons, they are flexing their creative muscles and we are the beneficiaries. One of the first on the alt-theater lineup is Great Barrington Public Theater, now in its second season of presenting, as its tagline announces, “New Plays, New Voices, Top Talent.”
“Bear Tales: Six Feet Together” is a full-length, free, online streaming program of new solo performances launched this week by Great Barrington Public Theater. Before the virus hit, these new works by many of the region’s most talented playwrights, storytellers and performers were scheduled to open the season.
“While the summer season remains in flux, for the last several weeks, we’ve been curating and creating boundary-pushing solo performances for video play,” said Artistic Director Jim Frangione. “Many of these solo pieces were originally scheduled to premiere onstage for our Bear Tales Solo Performance Festival in late May, but will now be seen even sooner online.”
True to the organization’s mission, “Bear Tales” will spotlight the deep pool of talent residing in and around the Berkshires, with one exception: a new play written and directed by Pulitzer Prize-winner David Mamet. Rebecca Pidgeon (who is married to Mamet), takes the role of famed reporter, critic and bon vivant Dorothy Kilgallen.
Every other piece in the program sounds equally compelling. A sampling of the lineup includes:
“Baker’s Revenge,” by playwright Jessica Provenz, in which a baker for the president of the United States — a man she despises — could be compelled to take action.
“The Cherry Orchard 2020” is film and set designer Carl Sprague’s adaptation of Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard,” set as a marionette piece, and a tribute to Sprague’s connection to the craft, which his family brought over from the former Northern Bohemia.
“Eye of the Needle,” by Andy Reynolds, finds a man forced to leave his husband, a diabetic hiker injured in the wilderness, as he attempts to launch a daring rescue in a piece about overcoming obstacles and the power of love.
“Final Words,” by Michael Brady, is a memoir on famous last words that blends humor, social observations, recollection and personal experience into poetic monologue.
Will LeBow’s “King Lear Boogie” is a tribute to Shakespeare and Howlln’ Wolf.
“Meet the Deadlies” by Anne Undeland, gives us a woman who just can’t help herself.
In “Old Straight Female White,” by Alexandra Angeloch, a pediatric nurse has come to that time and age in life when she must question the value of her existence in today’s milieu of identity politics.
As a follow up to "Bear Tales," Great Barrington Public Theater had scheduled the East Coast premiere of David Mamet’s newest work, "The Christopher Boy’s Communion." Plans for that production are unclear at this point.
But considering the circumstances, Great Barrington Public Theater is well positioned to turn its Solo Performance Festival into a positive theater experience for artists and audiences alike. It’s streaming now and free, with thanks to technology and the creative team determined to bring us “Six Feet Together.”
