June reopening planned for Oakland’s Woodminster
Ever-resourceful theater companies are finally able to look to the future as COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the country. Hopefully, theater companies may be back in business by late fall or winter. One outdoor theater, however, has something much earlier in mind — June 2021.
Harriet Schlader recently shared with me her new configuration of Woodminster Amphitheater’s seating to accommodate patrons during the pandemic. Her seating chart places two patrons with 6 feet of distance on all sides from the next grouping of two. Fortunately for Woodminster in Oakland’s Joaquin Miller Park, the amphitheater has a total seating capacity of more than 1,200. With the new COVID-era seating arrangement, Schlader reduces that to 400, a number many theaters would love to have.
“Of course, we also need to take care of our performers and backstage crew. Their health and the health of those who work for us and come to see us is our top priority. So we’re looking at shows with small casts and instead of a full orchestra, we’ll just have a few musicians,” said Schlader, who founded Woodminster Summer Musicals in 1967 with her husband, Jim. Her son, Joel, assumed the role of artistic director following his father’s death in 2010.
One of the musicals Schlader hopes to present is “Mirette,” with a book by Elizabeth Diggs, music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones (the musical playwright, not the ’60s/’70s crooner). The chamber musical from Schmidt and Jones, the creators of “The Fantasticks” and “I Do, I Do,” tells of an unusual friendship between a strong-willed 10-year-old girl and a jaded tightrope walker who’s lost his nerve. It’s based on the award-winning children’s book “Mirette on the High Wire.” When Schlader inquired about the show, she was told the 94-year-old Jones might be interested in coming out to help with the production.
“It’s such a charming show, and it would be such fun having a tight rope across the stage,” she said.
Other possibilities for the season include “I Do, I Do,” “Blood Brothers” and “Always … Patsy Cline.” Schlader is also looking at combining the company’s summer productions with musical and dance concerts, cabaret performances and other events.
“I constantly receive requests from groups to use our space and with the new seating configuration, it might just be doable,” she said. “We would deal with ticket sales, lighting and sound, and the group would bring in the production and do the marketing.”
Another idea Schlader is looking at involves offering a streaming subscription to patrons who can no longer physically attend shows.
“We have patrons who can’t attend but who still donate to us, and I thought this would be something for them as well as others in assisted living facilities to enjoy,” Schlader explained. “We would professionally film each production using several cameras and offer a streaming subscription as part of our subscriber package. They could enjoy the production in the safety of their homes and not have to deal with the fog that sometimes descends on us at the amphitheater!”
For more information on Woodminster, go to woodminster.com or email Schlader at harriet@woodminster.com.
Full Article by Sally Hogarty
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/01/15/curtain-calls-june-reopening-planned-for-oaklands-woodminster/