(contacts are being made to arrange to have CAST Producing Artistic Director James Beudry on a Thursday morning interview program in the near future on KROS) –
The Clinton Area Showboat Theater proudly announces a return to live theatre this summer with a new Artistic Director and an exciting season line-up under the theme “Come Together.” It will be a summer like no other with some exciting twists!
New to the Showboat this season, but certainly not new to the area, James Beaudry takes the reins as Producing Artistic Director. Some may recognize James from his 16 seasons at nearby Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, Illinois. Beaudry is joined by Executive Director James Kyle Davis, who has been with the Showboat for 10 years. Kris Doss, who serves as the box office manager, will also return for the summer of 2021.
The Showboat board of directors along with Beaudry, Davis and Doss are rising to the challenges of planning a summer season that will provide the highest quality performances while keeping audiences and actors safe. As one of only three professional, union theatre companies in all of Iowa, CAST’s plan will adhere to the many safety guidelines that have been laid out by Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
“After months of looking at larger indoor spaces and ways to perform our shows in front of a live audience while still being able to socially distance actors and spectators, we realized the answer was right in front of us,” said Beaudry. “The Showboat is one of the iconic symbols of the Clinton community at the center of Riverview Park. So this year, we are embracing the park that surrounds us as a space where we can present exciting shows while allowing our audiences to assemble safely.”
Working with the city, CAST will present its larger shows at the Riverview Bandshell and smaller shows in an inventive set up with theatre goers on the deck just east of the Showboat, and a stage built on the walkway perched above the Mississippi. Both areas will allow audiences to be seated in pods, safely distanced from other groups while accommodating our large number of season subscribers.
The season gets underway June 3rd – 13th with Always … Patsy Cline, the true story of an unbreakable bond between an ordinary mom and her country music idol. Former Artistic Director Matthew Teague Miller returns to CAST to direct this timeless show on the deck with over 25 Patsy Cline hits.
The greatest songs from the 60s and 70s are brought to life by our spectacular company as the Showboat moves across Riverview Drive to the bandshell with Smokey Joe’s Cafe, June 17-27. With hits like “Stand By Me,” “On Broadway,” “Dance With Me” and “Fools Fall In Love” the songs of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller defined a generation, and will create a perfect summer night of musical nostalgia.
All Shook Up, a musical made up entirely of Elvis Presley songs about the magic of music and falling in love will play the bandshell July 1-18, with time off for the 4th of July. James Beaudry makes his Showboat directing debut with a show he calls, “Non-stop laughs and the most fun you’ll have all summer.”
The summer continues July 22- August 1 with the new midwestern classic, Church Basement Ladies, directed on the deck by Jay Berkow, another previous artistic director, beloved by Showboat audiences for his work onstage and off.
Beaudry will direct Nick Payne’s beautiful play, Constellations, closing out the season August 5-15. Beaudry describes the play “like binge-worthy television. The shows we’ve never heard of are the ones that surprise us–that we fall in love with. It’s the life story of a modern couple that reminds us how to keep going after a year of lost time.”
But why outside when some companies are attempting to open indoors?
Beaudry explains, “As a company that hires union talent from all over the country, CAST is committed to making the safety and health of our audiences and company our top priorities. The theatre on the boat is a relatively intimate space, so the only way to create a venue that can accommodate the thousands of theatregoers we see each summer, whether or not they are vaccinated, is to move outdoors. “Come Together” is a celebration of the resilience and creativity that we’ve all mustered to get through the last year.”
In order to make the outdoor experience as pleasant as possible, performances will begin at 8:00 pm, rather than 7:30, to avoid direct sunlight, and all shows will be two hours or less. In case of rain, tickets may be exchanged.
Board Vice President Chris Streets said of the plan, “Beaudry and Davis put their heads together and came up with a safe, responsible and unbelievably fun idea for the cast, crew and audience to come together again! It may seem unconventional in the beginning, but with an 8 o’clock curtain time, the sun will be setting and the cooling summer breeze will be coming in off the river. Music will fill the air and live theatre will once again fill our audience’s hearts in Clinton, Iowa.”
Subscriptions and individual tickets will go on sale in late May at the Showboat box office. Subscribers who have already purchased season passes for 2020 or 2021 will be contacted by the box office in May with information on how to reserve tickets. Education program information and information about shows for young people will be announced in April.
“We know that CDC and union guidelines will be evolving as more and more people are vaccinated. As things change, we’ll be adaptable,” Beaudry said. “The good news is that we have a solid plan for this summer. The great news is that the Showboat will be waiting for us all to go back inside, and we will just as soon as it’s safe.”
