How does the Springer ‘keep making art’ during COVID? The solution is outdoors
As the Springer Opera House prepares to celebrate its 150th birthday on Feb. 21, the theater’s staffers have begun building a new outdoor performance space to keep shows going as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
The new amphitheater is under construction in the Springer’s parking lot at the corner of 10th Street and Second Avenue. The remaining seven shows of the 2020-2021 season will move to this outside venue and be repackaged as the “Springer Theatre Festival,” said Paul Pierce, the Springer’s producing artistic director.
“People are not yet ready to come back indoors for plays, and yet there’s this feeling of being cooped up in your house and being frustrated that you can’t go do anything or go anywhere,” Pierce said, “so the Springer decided to tackle this problem kind of head on.”
Creating an outdoor space for shows helps keep patrons, performers and staff safer amid COVID, Pierce said. The performance area will offer distanced seating, an outdoor lighting system, advanced video projection equipment, and a 32-foot stage.
The Springer’s 135,000-square feet of indoor space will allow performers and staff to spread out during rehearsals, and new dressing room spaces are being created.
“We’ve got about 600 seats inside the main theater,” Pierce said. “We will have half of that capacity out here, but because it’s outdoors and because the seats can be moved, we can move that capacity from 300 all the way down to 100 based on the (COVID) data.”
“It’s been tough for everybody,” said Matthew Swindell, the Springer’s director of production. “All arts organizations have been hit hard and we’re just trying to do the best that we can to keep making art.”
Swindell said the last year has highlighted the Springer’s resourcefulness and resiliency.
“We’re all doing multiple jobs that at some point a year ago none of us would have been doing,” he said. “I think a lot of other arts organizations are struggling partly because they don’t have that depth of a bench that we do.”
Schedule & ticket info
Seven shows are scheduled from mid-March through late June. The festival kicks off March 18 with “Singin’ in the Rain,” which was canceled when the pandemic took hold in 2020. The other shows are:
- “Cotton Patch Gospel” (March 24-April 3)
- “Click Clack Moo” (April 10-18)
- “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (April 29-May 9)
- “Planes, Trains, and Things that go ZOOM” (May 1 & 8, in the backyard plaza)
- “Curious George and the Golden Meatball” (May 28-June 13)
- “Spamalot” (June 11-27)
Patrons can order single tickets or packages for the Springer Theatre Festival by calling 706-327-3688 or visiting springeroperahouse.org. Those attending shows in person will have their temperature checked and must wear a face mask. Social distancing will be required. Patrons also have the option of watching shows via web stream.
“We’re certainly not out of the woods and there is still a threat here because we make 73% of our annual income off of ticket sales and earned income,” Pierce said. “But, one marvelous thing that’s happened to us is that our donors have understood what the threat was about and they have stuck with us and been very generous with us.”
Pierce said the Springer’s approaching birthday is a reminder of the community’s support through the years.
“This community has been fighting for the survival of the Springer Opera House for 150 years this month and the community continues to wrap their hearts around our organization and they’ve been very generous with us with their charitable contributions and that’s why we’re standing here today,” he said.
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
