May 20, 2020
“We left the dressing rooms full, the stage set and the ghost light on.”
Linda Sturdivant, Artistic Director at the Biddeford City Theater, has been working in theater for almost 40 years. On March 13th, she had to make the tough decision to close the theater on opening night of the production Little Women the Broadway Musical.
In true performance fashion, the show must go on. So, the cast and crew performed the show for themselves to an empty theater. “We left the dressing rooms full, the stage set and the ghost light on,” said Linda.
These days, to keep her patrons entertained, Linda puts out a newsletter of information with livestream productions and links to view them. Linda knew getting creative was crucial to meet the cravings of live performances for theater patrons. Well connected in the business, she started doing research on theaters offering live streamed productions, and lo and behold Andrew Lloyd Webber is streaming legendary Broadway shows online for free in a series called The Show Must Go On! UK’s National Theater Company is streaming a different show every week. TheaterWorks Hartford will be streaming a different show every two weeks. Broadway World, PBS and the Portland Symphony Orchestra all have free offerings for people to stay connected with theater.
Linda said, “Everyone is doing what they can to make theater as viable as it can be.”
