Reinventing Play: Where the Land Meets the Sea: Theatre Commune, Chaos, and Wonder in The Beach Plays, a Collective Essay by Addie Johnson Talbott, Sarah Shaefer and Evan F. Caccioppoli

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The Beach Plays: A Producer’s Perspective
By Evan F. Caccioppoli

“Do you want to come do some plays on the beach in San Francisco?” That was what Daniel Talbott asked me when I was visiting Los Angeles during the run of his playSlipping. Daniel had this idea to commission five playwrights to write plays specifically for a beach in San Fran, and then have five directors and a company of actors to perform them. We would rehearse for a week and then perform them for three performances, very much in the style of Rising Phoenix Rep’s Cino Nights.  The idea sounded exciting and terrifying at the same time, especially when Daniel asked me to direct one of the plays and co-produce the whole thing with my company Kid Brooklyn Productions.  This sounds like too good of an opportunity and too much fun to say no to. Please, I would get to hang out with some of my best friends in San Francisco, and I was in!

As a producer, this process was brand new to me, Kid Brooklyn’s way of working is to pick or commission the project we want to do then raise the funds and make the project happen. Putting The Beach Plays together has been a whole new process for me. Because all of us have multiple projects going on right now, we had a short period to put this together, and the phrase “will it all happen?” kept running through my mind. The answer was “yes!” As we all descended on a house in San Francisco, it became a big theatrical commune. Rehearsals were scheduled, meals were cooked, there were bodies sleeping in every corner, but there was this amazing feeling of excitement and infectious energy going through the house.

Theatre has been in the air all week on Ocean Beach as actors, playwrights, and directors staked out their spots and worked on these plays. As surfers, kids, couples, dogs, and the beach patrol passed by, this span of sand and waves became many different worlds: from the beaches of Vietnam to a mythical world of mermaids to the setting of wedding with an unexpected guest. It’s been hectic but amazing to stroll on the sand and hear all these stories come to life, to walk into the house around 1:00 p.m. and see three people in the kitchen making lunch while four others nap in their sandy clothes wherever they find a spot, and to hear lines being learned aloud at any available moment.

Jelena Stupljanin in Rise by Crystal Skillman, Directed by Evan F. Caccioppoli

And this might be the most thrilling and biggest fear: we never know what is going to happen on the beach. While rehearsing, we’ve had encounters with interesting beach people, been lovingly attacked by groups of dogs, seen our rehearsal areas been taken over by others, and have all faced the constant worry that we’ll be asked to leave by the beach patrol. In addition, the fight for sound with nature is an enormous challenge, the ocean and sounds of the beach create this beautiful soundscape that we have to work hard to overcome. In rehearsal, we gather audiences without asking for them (and at times they can be very vocal) and it’s a first time experience to watch not only the actors but also those who gather to watch them work in rehearsal. It makes me excited for the nights we put this in front of our actual audience.

This experience has been one of the most thrilling in my producing career. As a theatre producer you never know what is going to happen, but adding the reality and beauty of Ocean Beach to the mix brings new meaning to the idea of embracing the unknown. But that’s the thrill! In the not-knowing!

I feel like I’ve been gaining new family members as the week goes on. I’m exhausted, I’m happier than I can be, and I can’t wait to actually perform this for people.” –Liam Callister

It was great to have the inspiration of the place and also Daniel sent us images and songs individually, and it was wonderful to write for a specific group of people as well. I think it’s really exciting to see how, given the same place and the same sort of ensemble, that there are five such vastly different plays that came from that. I think that’s really exciting. - Sarah H. Haught

Wendy Vanden Heuvel and MacLeod Andrews in Mermaid by Sarah Shaefer, Directed by Sarah H. Haught