By Kerry Ingram
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
A spark of energy radiated through Baltimore Center Stage’s “Twelfth Night” cast one recent Friday afternoon.
The five actors huddled in a circle, just minutes before their performance, rolling their tongues and moving their lips to prepare for the words that would soon escape them.
Clad in all white ensembles, each hand painted differently to appear cartoonish in a minimalistic style, the cast ran through their routine preparations for the Shakespearean play.
But there was one aspect of this performance that would be different from all the rest: the venue.
Rather than acting at the group’s theater on North Calvert Street, this day’s performance was held at the Baltimore Boys & Girls Club on Callaway Avenue – all part of a two-year program in which the company travels to different locations for each performance as a way of providing different city communities with access to arts, especially those in underserved areas.
“Our central purpose is to bring theatre to communities without access to it,” said Daniel Bryant, the director of the show. “We wanted to break the boundaries and take art to the people. We believe in there being access for all; having exposure to arts is not only entertaining, but important.”
Baltimore Center Stage’s Mobile Unit initiative started in 2016 and has brought theatre performances to different communities across the Baltimore area, from homeless shelters to nursing homes; the company has even been able to put on shows for the incarcerated.
Suzette Azariah Gunn, the actress who played the lead role of Viola in addition to starring as Maria, refers to Baltimore Center Stage’s Mobile Unit as a “special gift of service.”
“Mobile is not about the actors being within themselves but about giving of themselves to others,” Gunn said. “It’s about sharing and bringing a bit of light, joy and love to those who may be overlooked. I end up in tears because they have allowed us into their safe space and the human-to-human exchange is palpable.”
The show at the Boys & Girls Club allowed children to be exposed to a classic playwright, Shakespeare, while also providing them with a source of entertainment.
Telling a tale of identical twins who were separated and their journey to find one another, Center Stage’s “Twelfth Night” performance kept its Old-English language but added new-school twists to the presentation to make it more lively and relatable for audiences.
Live music and puppetry were just some of the artistic choices Bryant decided to make, but it was the costume choice that was most unexpected.
“I wanted the show to be playful,” Bryant said. “I worked with the costume designer for the show and explained that vision, and we came up with these hand painted designs, almost as if they were paper dolls.”
The designs, which included linear pop-art like strokes adorned on the clothing, in addition to geographic ‘90s-like prints and minimalistic patterns, were striking enough to be noticed without being too bold to overshadow the actors.
To David Darrow, the actor who starred as Valentine, Feste, and Antonio in the production, the biggest difference in a mobile theatre from a traditional venue is the amount of physical space.
“Theatrical lighting does a ton of heavy lifting for you in terms of atmosphere and storytelling,” Darrow said. “When that goes away, you suddenly have to solve all those problems yourself. It’s an amazing challenge, but it can be scary having nothing to hide behind.”
Despite the lack of “hiding” room, Darrow shared how the closeness of the audience makes the experience a great one.
“Sometimes, no one in a particular audience has ever been inside a theater, so they don’t know the ‘right way’ to be,” Darrow said. “Sometimes they yell things to the characters or comment on the action. I actually love that part of [acting in a mobile theatre]. I wish ‘regular audiences’ felt more comfortable responding to what they were seeing out loud – it shows a very high level of engagement and listening.”
Bryant said he is happy to be part of the Mobile Unit because it adds a layer to the art that does not exist in a traditional theater.
“It’s life changing,” Bryant said. “It’s a rare thing to be able to do what you love while it also having a purpose. Using arts as a venue for service allows us to really connect with our community, and it’s something that shapes us. We’re transformed by them. It’s a great experience for all.”
The children at the Boys & Girls Club seemed to agree, each exclaiming a loud “yes” after Bryant asked the crowd if they would like the theatre company to come back. Although this was Baltimore Center Stage’s second year performing as a Mobile Unit, this was its first performance at the club. Bryant said the group definitely plans to return in the coming year.
Baltimore Center Stage’s Mobile Unit will continue holding performances of “Twelfth Night” at a range of locations throughout Baltimore, from the Sandtown-Winchester Senior Center to the Maryland Correctional Institution, through March 21.