Falcon Theatre’s final Fall show, Big Love, will perform November 17th-19th. Due to COVID-19, the show will be performed outdoors. Audience members can attend for free and may bring their own chairs if they wish to sit.
Big Love, written by Charles L. Mee, is a modern adaptation of Aeschylus’s The Suppliants. It is about brides who flee to a manor in Italy to avoid marrying their cousins and in the process raise issues of gender politics, love, and the ideals of domestic partnership.
“I enjoy this piece because it takes a comedic look at antiquated ideas about relationships and how they are adapted to our world today.” Director Lance Morse said. “Each character in the play portrays a stereotype, yet through these extreme types, we see a larger lesson to be learned.”
The show is at the Fine Arts loading dock on the west side of the school. Like both of the other fall shows, I and You and Peter Pan, they had to get creative with ways to perform safely. The show is blocked so that actors on stage maintain social distancing and all company members will wear masks during the performance. The outdoor venue allows for social distancing for audience members.
“We have turned the area into a stage and will be having audience members to sit on the grass and bring their own chairs,” Actor Delaney Ross said. “We decided to have our show outdoors primarily for safety reasons, but also because it happens to fit the setting of our show!”
Having an outdoor venue provided challenges for the technical side of the production. Lights and sound, for example, had to find a setup that works outdoors without all their usual equipment.
“We have had to readjust to being in a different space but I feel like it’s really good for both the technicians and the actors to get out of their comfort zone and try something new,” stage manager Phoebe Lowe said. “It’s been really great still being able to have theatre and have an audience.”
Ross, who plays Lydia, also expressed her excitement for the opportunity to perform.
“I’m looking forward to just being able to perform live again. Throughout this quarantine the theatre community has really been struggling, but I am so thankful that our department is finding ways to let us continue our art!”