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Friday, January 11, 2019

New Rehearsal Hall, Priscilla Beach Theatre (PBT), Priscilla Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA



Just because the Priscilla Beach Theatre (PBT) campus is quiet and there are no active shows on the stage this time of year doesn't mean they aren't hard at work preparing for the upcoming season that begins in May.



PBT is creating their own separate Rehearsal Hall on campus!

In the image above, the final coat of wall paint has been applied, the storage cubbies beneath the perimeter bench are nearing completion, and the overhead and underneath lights are installed (all super efficient LEDs). The custom cubbies around the perimeter will afford actors and actresses space to store personal effects during rehearsals. Next, the clean-up and final flooring.

When complete, this new PBT Rehearsal Hall will be ready for actors and actresses to do their stuff! The floor space recreates the stage width dimension and most of the depth of their iconic PBT Barn Stage. The Barn Stage, a 240-seat venue, will soon begin its 82nd season and is cited as the oldest summer stock barn theatre still operating in America. The original barn was built in 1875. The current owners, Bob and Sandy Malone, completed a modernization and renovation effort in 2014-15 and also installed new seats and new state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems.



Flooring installation ongoing.......



Flooring installation completed. Within this new space, directors and casts will be able to rehearse production musical numbers and stage blocking in a right-sized space instead of relying on using the Barn Stage which may have other activities underway such as set building and/or preparation for another performance. (By the way, the faint vertical lines are a result of the panorama function built-in to my camera and become visible when used in this lighting and subject situation).



As an example, maybe PBT could have used the space to practice wonderful scenes like this one from last season's closing performance of, "Dames at Sea," produced by Bob and Sandy Malone and directed by Danny Bolton. Countless other extraordinary productions will benefit from this space in the future. It is just plain magic how great an audience experience PBT creates with their shows! I think having this onsite hall will only improve that already stellar quality. I have been following them for a few years now and have never been disappointed. Here's a link to recent past seasons of my blog posts.



In years long gone by, this wall-sized piece of art created by muralist Max Gorgal in the late 1960's or early 70's was formerly on display in this new rehearsal space.

The 2019 Performance Season begins in a little bit over 100 days on Friday, May 3rd, with the opening of "Life Could Be A Dream." Contact PBT online at this link or by phone at 508-224-4888 for tickets or more info.

The full season looks like this:

2019 PBT Barn Stage Productions - Adult Cast Series

"Life Could Be A Dream" in May,
"Heathers the Musical" in June,
"Hairspray" in July,
"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" in August,
"[Title of Show]" in September,
"Young Frankenstein" in October.


PBT also offers spring, summer, and fall workshops for children and has been educating children for more than 70 years. The spring performance of "Seussical Jr." will open in May. The rest of the season will be announced soon. Plan to come out and support our aspiring local youth.

We are so fortunate to have such an extraordinary performing arts venue right here in our local community. Your support and attendance is important to keep this resource thriving.



Looks more like early spring than early January! I wouldn't mind a little snow covering............


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