I really appreciated Erin's posting about their experience. It is tempting, when you're a public-facing company, to keep bad experiences to yourselves. It is brave of her to discuss the negatives publicly and invite us all to think of ways that our community makes people feel unsafe.
When we did As You Like It in Seven Hills Park in 2011, we did have some disturbing interactions with people in the park, but nothing like what Erin describes here. I attribute this to 1) the more open nature of Seven Hills Park, with high volumes of people passing through along the bike path, and--although it had never occurred to me--2) the gender mix of our cast and crew. It's also the case that at least a couple of our crew are women of size and powerful charisma--one of these dealt successfully with a group of young men inclined to heckle a dress rehearsal.
We are in the early stages of planning a show to take place in the same park where Maiden Phoenix's show was performed and I have made sure that the director has seen this. Although we are again planning on a mixed-gender cast and crew, I think there are lessons for anyone planning an outdoor performance to take into account (secure storage for belongings, someone specifically tasked with dealing with the public at every rehearsal and performance, advance outreach to the police, etc.).
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Date: 2015-11-04 07:18 pm (UTC)When we did As You Like It in Seven Hills Park in 2011, we did have some disturbing interactions with people in the park, but nothing like what Erin describes here. I attribute this to 1) the more open nature of Seven Hills Park, with high volumes of people passing through along the bike path, and--although it had never occurred to me--2) the gender mix of our cast and crew. It's also the case that at least a couple of our crew are women of size and powerful charisma--one of these dealt successfully with a group of young men inclined to heckle a dress rehearsal.
We are in the early stages of planning a show to take place in the same park where Maiden Phoenix's show was performed and I have made sure that the director has seen this. Although we are again planning on a mixed-gender cast and crew, I think there are lessons for anyone planning an outdoor performance to take into account (secure storage for belongings, someone specifically tasked with dealing with the public at every rehearsal and performance, advance outreach to the police, etc.).