Have you ever seen a play from a paddleboard? How about Broadway on a boat?
This month you can experience true liquid thespianism as Black Ice Theatre Co. brings socially distanced “Broadway Live” to various locations in South Lake Tahoe.
“I know some people look at [quarantine] as a break, but people need to be entertained … People need some joy and I want to bring it to them. But we don’t want to do it if we’re going to put anyone at risk, so we’re going to be as safe as possible.”- Richard Sargent
On Aug. 15, the nonprofit presents a two-set performance of 20 Broadway songs from productions including “Rent,” “Mamma Mia!,” “Grease” and “Cabaret” at the historical one-room Cassidy Boathouse built sometime between 1908 and 1912. The lakeside stage sits atop a dock about a quarter mile west of Lakeview Commons. Attendees must swim, boat or paddle to the site to view the event from the water. Other shows will be on Aug. 20 and 23 on land.
Aug. 15 | 6 p.m.
Cassidy Boathouse | South Lake Tahoe
Aug. 20 | 6 p.m.
South Lake Brewing Company | South Lake Tahoe
Aug. 23 | 5 p.m.
The Hangar | South Lake Tahoe
“We’ve never done anything like this before,” says Black Ice Theatre Artistic Director Richard Sargent. “I hope people show up because I think it’s a great idea that also keeps people safe. Tahoe is very outdoorsy and this is something that combines the best of the art world with the best of the nature world.”
WATCH Black Ice Theater perform songs from “Rent”
Originally from Pittsburg, Penn., Sargent worked for Left Coast Theatre Co. in San Francisco before relocating to South Lake Tahoe with his partner, Josh Moskoviz, who plays bass guitar in the Broadway band. Sargent founded Black Ice Theatre Co. in 2018 as a way to engage local audiences in fresh, daring theater that explores themes vital to both the modern moment and the timeless representation of human experience.
“We felt it was time that theater was more consistent in South Lake Tahoe,” he says. “We wanted there to be more relevant theater in town, theater about things everyone can relate to, theater that represents all the people in the town.”
Black Ice partners with Lake Tahoe Community College to offer acting classes and spring performances for credit. This week Sargent is hosting a summer acting camp for kids.
“We have so much talent in this town and to be able to showcase it is great,” says Sargent. “With every show, we keep growing our audiences. Our last show was set up to be biggest show yet with sold-out houses in San Francisco and the buzz was growing here in Tahoe. That was the worst part. It finally started to take off and we had to shut it all down.”
The production of “Never the Sinner” was canceled in March shortly after its premiere in San Francisco due to coronavirus.
“We never got to bring it to Tahoe,” says Sargent. “We were heartbroken so we needed to find some way to be creative through all this.”
So the company put together “Sheltered Shorts” airing 50 plays in 50 days during quarantine with Sargent recruiting actors from throughout the United States to act the parts from their individual homes on Zoom. He followed this up with “Musical Mondays,” which led to the idea for “Broadway Live.” When venues started to open back up in June, Sargent reached out to see about booking some live, socially distanced theater.
“I can’t stop creating,” says the ever-industrious artist. “I know some people look at [quarantine] as a break, but people need to be entertained. Life is shitty right now. People need some joy and I want to bring it to them. But we don’t want to do it if we’re going to put anyone at risk, so we’re going to be as safe as possible.”
Black Ice performers are being tested regularly for COVID-19 and wear face shields at rehearsals in Sargent’s backyard in Tahoe Keys.
“We found the masks made it a little hard to sing,” he says.
While the summer production of political beauty-pageant comedy “The Taming” and fall show of classic horror drama “The House on Haunted Hill” remain indefinitely postponed, Sargent hopes the Broadway shows help to keep some momentum alive for one of the few independent theater companies in the region.
“We want to make art a focal part of Tahoe,” says Sargent. “We want people to come here for the beauty and stay for the art. Those outdoor people who don’t think they’re into theater just don’t know they’re theater people yet because they haven’t gone to see a show. You change in the theater. The value is a bunch of strangers who come together for a shared experience. They laugh and cry and love and leave a different person from when they came. We hope in the theater we can all grow and become better people. It helps bring people together and in this world right now, that’s what we need.” | blackicetheatreco.com
