With social distancing in place amid the coronavirus pandemic, the site-specific theater company Single Carrot Theatre will perform the final show of its season entirely online, the group announced today.
And it’s a fitting move, given that the two protagonists are internet personalities going through a break-up.
So now, instead of an in-person production as originally intended, “we broke up” will take place on YouTube, with the characters airing each other’s dirty laundry over YouTube.
In a release, Single Carrot said the play, written by local playwright DJ Hills, “explores the world of social media celebrities, challenges our culture’s addictive consumption of strangers’ private lives.”
Artistic Director Genevieve de Mahy said the actors and production crew are excited to mount the play while many people are staying at home to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
“We are thrilled by the idea of actually making something that is built for a livestream medium, but is also theatrical,” she said. “We are building something that can bring into people’s homes the things they love about theatre; feeling connected, being a part of the action, and most importantly being present with a community.”
To that end, audience members will get to interact with the performers via live chat while the play is unfolding on the screen. People who purchase tickets will receive a private link to watch “we broke up.”
Shows will begin in mid-April, the company said. Details are still forthcoming and updates will be posted on Single Carrot’s website.
Early last year, Single Carrot left its home in Remington to take on site-specific theater, meaning it would stage shows in various buildings and locations. For example, its most recent production, of R. Eric Thomas’ “Safe Space,” was performed at Clifton Mansion.
A play in 2017, before the company fully committed to site-specific performances, took audience members around the city on a bus as actors performed on the street.
Single Carrot also announced today that, as a result of the pandemic, the production of Elizabeth Dinkova and Miranda Rose Hall’s “Bulgaria! Revolt!” has been pushed to the fall, when the company launches its 13th season.
