Shakespeare, shades and SPF

Shakespeare spends his summer all over the place: in the park, in the woods, in the amphitheater and yes, even on the beach. The folks at Santa Monica Rep are resident artists at the Annenberg Community Beach House this summer, and they are staging The Tempest in an outdoor production that’s free and open to the public. (Reserved seats are no longer available, but there are plenty of other ways to see the show; more about that later.)

Producing a play at the beach brings unique challenges, according to Eric and Jen Bloom, the husband-and-wife co-founders of Santa Monica Rep, along with Sarah Gurfield.

“There is not a whole lot of protection from the sun,” Eric said. “We are still debating whether or not to use sunglasses for the performance, but that might take away from the connection with the audiences.”

They also have noise to contend with.  There is the ocean, for starters, and occasionally they have to “freeze” during scenes to let a helicopter pass.  Luckily, the Southern California weather has been cooperative so far, raining out only one of the rehearsals.

When the Beach House first considered adding theatre to its public programming, there was uncertainty about how audiences would respond, said cultural affairs coordinator Naomi Okuyama. Last year they tested the waters by inviting a drama troupe. The outdoor shows were popular among beachgoers and theatre fans alike, so this year they took it up a notch, granting Santa Monica Rep an official residency. To ensure maximum community involvement, outdoor public rehearsals are a part of the contract.

Jen Bloom said she takes inspiration on how to attract beach wanderers from her day job at the Natural History Museum. There, she is tasked with engaging museum-goers of all ages for 35 theatrical performances a week.

“Rehearsing in the open, our actors engage more with the public,” she said. “I wanted to try that idea with Shakespeare. Our actors approach the audience, and the audience approaches them. It has really generated a lot of interest in the process.”

She also uses enormous, three-story “puppets,” created by volunteers and artists at a public workshop, that dangle from the facility’s guest house.

If nothing else, the juxtaposition of costumed actors against the beach scene should provide quite the spectacle. (Imagine actors, wearing Elizabethan garb made of recycled materials, sharing the space with bikini-clad skateboarders.)

Even though online reservations are no longer being taken, there will be some seats available to those who have signed up on the waiting list via the website, along with standing room and any seats left available by no-shows. Or check out one of the rehearsals, which take place from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. this Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. There also will be a full dress rehearsal on Tuesday, August 9, at 5 p.m.

The final product will be staged August 10-12 at 4:30 p.m. and August 13-14 at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The Annenberg Community Beach House, operated by the City of Santa Monica, is located at 415 Pacific Coast Highway.  Don’t forget to bring hats and sunscreen. The Bard would have wanted it that way.

Posted 8/3/11