Robert Westenberg Returns to the ‘Prophetic’ Secret Backyard

Robert Westenberg is having fun with a homecoming of kinds, directing a brand new manufacturing of Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon’s 1991 musical The Secret Backyard at Missouri State College. Westenberg created the position of Dr. Neville Craven within the authentic Broadway manufacturing, singing the emotional duet “Lily’s Eyes” reverse Mandy Patinkin eight exhibits per week on the St. James Theatre.

Following a Broadway appearing profession that additionally included originating roles in Into the Woods and Sunday within the Park with George, Westenberg turned to directing and instructing; he’s presently a professor and coordinator of musical theatre at MSU.

Chatting through telephone about his return to The Secret Backyard, Westenberg appeared struck with how well timed the musical stays. “[The show] is unbelievably prophetic when it comes to what is occurring at the moment.”

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The musical, primarily based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel of the identical identify, opens with a 10-year-old woman dwelling in British-occupied India who wakes up one morning to seek out everybody she is aware of gone, useless from an outbreak of cholera. Westenberg’s manufacturing, initially scheduled to carry out final spring, has after all been touched by an outbreak of its personal—one nonetheless affecting theatres and theatre artists worldwide.

“We had rehearsed it within the studio to the purpose the place we have been prepared to maneuver into the theatre for tech, and that ended up being the week when theatres have been shut down, and the realities of the pandemic grew to become obvious.”

Westenberg determined to postpone the manufacturing to the autumn as a filmed and streamed efficiency in order that the scholars’ arduous work would not go unseen, however with the unfold of COVID-19 very a lot nonetheless a actuality, a lot of changes needed to be made.

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“We enacted strict protocols within the rehearsal course of. We talked lots with the youngsters about effervescent, ensuring that their pod of buddies wasn’t too intensive. They have been restricted from events or any form of socializing the place social distancing and face masks weren’t taking place. Temperatures have been taken on the prime of each rehearsal for everybody concerned. Masks have been strictly enforced, and social distancing was strictly enforced.”

Masks additionally made it to the filmed efficiency, as a result of Westenberg felt the story could not authentically be advised with actors socially distanced on stage. The actors all put on matching clear masks all through the efficiency, which created their very own distinctive challenges.

“We use the identical fashion of masks for everyone, however everybody’s facial contours are very totally different, and the microphone will be receiving totally different indicators in line with the actual aircraft of that actor’s face. Typically it sounds muffled, generally it sounds clear, generally it sounds staticky, however for essentially the most half it’s miles higher than I believed it was going to be. I’ve killer youngsters with Broadway-level voices, and the singing actually comes by means of.”

Westenberg and his crew filmed a efficiency in an empty theatre with 4 cameras—two at the back of the home for extensive grasp pictures and two for close-ups—with the assistance of a brand new platform from ShowTix4U and Broadway Media Group that streamlines ticket gross sales, streaming portals, and licensing funds multi function place. The platform permits for true reside streams together with pre-recorded “command” performances, which MSU has elected to do for The Secret Backyard. The forged and crew filmed final week forward of their September 15 digital opening.

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Filmed performances might sound anathema to reside theatre afficionados, however Westenberg was pleasantly stunned with the way it turned out.

“I believed it was going to be archival-like when it comes to the digicam high quality and modifying, however it turned out to be much better than I had ever hoped, as a result of the cameras have the flexibility to zoom and pan.”

The reside high quality of the efficiency can be preserved by modifying on the fly as if a reside TV telecast, since The Secret Backyard licensor Harmony Theatricals bars post-production modifying in these conditions to keep up the integrity of the reside theatre expertise.

Regardless of the myriad challenges the manufacturing in the end confronted, Westenberg in the end discovered the expertise an emotional one which uncovered simply how a lot he loves the musical he helped develop virtually three a long time in the past.

“This play had a profound impression on all of us as artists and human beings and as a group. I really feel like we went by means of a warfare collectively, and we got here our the opposite facet. It was emotional and really transferring, as a result of these days when there’s a lot dysfunction and a lot divisiveness and corruption and cynicism, to have a play that talks about unity and forgiveness and redemption and hope is so highly effective.”

Missouri State College’s The Secret Backyard nearly opened September 15, with extra streamed performances scheduled nightly September 16-18. Tickets can be found at ShowTix4U.com.

Look Again on the Authentic Manufacturing of The Secret Backyard on Broadway