STREAMING THEATER
Theater Without Borders
Forging a more accessible brand of theater in COVID era
BY DAVID KENNERLEY
“It is wild to think we are
still MAYBE AT MINIMUM
8 months from
theatre really coming
back,” Jeremy Wein recently
tweeted, echoing the sentiments
of countless theater buffs in New
York and beyond. But instead of
groaning and bemoaning like so
many of us, the Brooklyn-based
producer and director is actually
doing something about it.
Not long after the March 12
lockdown, Wein spearheaded
Play-PerView, a virtual theater initiative
that delivers unique, livestreamed
events for audiences all
over the world. The group leverages
the power of community, creating
strategies for theater artists
to support one another in trying
times with love, hope, and digital
innovation.
“Play-PerView was a direct and
immediate response to the pandemic,”
Wein explained. “When everything
started shutting down, I
knew in my bones it wasn’t going
to be a short-term thing. The moment
doors start closing the clock
starts ticking, and I heard it ticking
loud.”
The performances and other
events raise funds for the Actors
Fund, Broadway Cares/ Equity
Fights AIDS, nonprofi t theater
companies, and many more. This
altruistic component was a priority
from the start.
“I think that is the driving force
for me,” said Wein. “I am in a fortunate
position where I have been
employed during the entire quarantine
and don’t have to worry
about keeping a roof over my head
or where my next meal is coming
from. I have a valuable position
and I want to do what I can to help
others.”
According to Wein, it’s not just
actors or directors who need fortifi
cation during this crippling coronavirus
pandemic.
“I also try and look out for the
people on the fringes too –– like the
front-of-house staff member who
isn’t in a union and about to get
Josh Zuckerman and Wendie Malick in a rehearsal for the July 25 performance of Stan Zimmerman and
Christian McLaughlin’s “Knife to the Heart.”
kicked off their health insurance.”
The live readings are, by any
standard, quite affordable. Play-
PerView offers an at-will tiered fee
structure, whereby virtual tickets
are sold, based on availability,
from $5 to $50. On the day of the
event, a Zoom link is sent to ticketholders.
When choosing content, Wein
and his team cast a wide net. He
has a wish list of people he wants
to work with and pieces he’s seen
in prior seasons that he would love
to remount. Sometimes they take
to Twitter to ask what folks want
to see. Occasionally theater artists
will reach out to them about
collaborating, or someone who has
done a prior reading pitches them
an idea.
Since March, they have managed
to assemble an impressive
slate of offerings, including Lucas
Hnath’s “A Doll’s House Part II,”
“The Pink Unicorn” starring Alice
Ripley, Tori Sampson’s “Cadillac
Crew,” and Bess Wohl’s “Barcelona.”
They are planning a “Debrief”
Instagram Live series, informal
talk shows about the distinct challenges
of making theater in the
digital realm.
PHOTO PLAY-PERVIEW
Last week I was lucky to catch
the one-time only reading of “Heroes
of the Fourth Turning” that
reunited the superb original cast.
Will Arbery’s topical drama, you
may recall, caused quite a stir at
Playwrights Horizons last season
and was a Pulitzer Prize fi nalist.
The riveting production, with
its stark black backgrounds and
moody lighting, made excellent use
of the Zoom format.
The event racked up 2,200 viewers
and more than $20,000 in donations
to benefi t a Playwrights
Horizons initiative that gives a fi -
nancial boost to theater artists in
need during the COVID crisis.
At fi rst Wein wanted to present
live, one-time only performances
to make it feel like a special event.
Many theater fans, however, were
deeply disappointed when a show
came and went before they could
view it. To make the content more
accessible, they plan on offering
extended viewing periods for all future
readings.
The response has been overwhelmingly
positive. Not only have
they received warm praise from
the media, but key members of the
theater community have begun to
take notice.
“Annette O’Toole and Michael
McKean tweeted some very nice
things about ‘The Few’ last week,
which was really amazing,” Wein
said.
He noted that Play-PerView has
raised more than $70,000 in four
months, and he aims to clear
$100,000 in donations by end of
the summer.
How does it feel to extend their
reach beyond New York City?
“Pretty amazing, but it’s not just
reaching beyond NYC,” Wein said.
“It also extends to our neighbors
in our own backyard. I don’t think
people realize how many folks can’t
physically leave their homes even
if it is not a pandemic, for medical
reasons or whatnot. Receiving
messages from those folks really
makes it worth it. Accessibility is
not just about ticket pricing.”
Wein added that he hopes the
endeavor reveals a need for this
type of online content moving forward,
even after we are “back to
normal.”
Next up on July 25 at 5 p.m. Eastern
time is a live-stream reading of
Stan Zimmerman and Christian
McLaughlin’s “Knife to the Heart,”
an incisive comedy about a bris
featuring Andrea Bowen (“Desperate
Housewives”), Wendie Malick
(“Hot in Cleveland”), Todd Sherry
(“Parks & Recreation”) who channels
a wicked Paul Lynde, and Josh
Zuckerman (“90210”). On August 1
is a reunion reading of “RoosevElvis,”
the acclaimed buoyant drama
that imagines a clash between the
spirits of Teddy Roosevelt and Elvis
Presley.
When asked what else is on the
horizon Wein demurred, explaining
he couldn’t reveal that just yet.
“But I will say we have our second
Pulitzer fi nalist in our series,
and several more reunion readings
in the works, including a title a lot
of people have been asking about
and recently picked up some Obie
awards earlier this month.”
PLAY-PERVIEW ONLINE THEATER
INITIATIVE | Information at
play-perview.com
July 30 - August 12, 2 20 020 | GayCityNews.com
/play-perview.com
/GayCityNews.com
