Show Must Go On

Classic San Antonio theater lifts curtain on outdoor performances for social distancing

classic theatre san antonio theater in the rough

The Classic Theatre is heading outdoors.

Photo by Siggi Ragnar

Hamstrung by social-distancing guidelines, The Classic Theatre San Antonio is moving its shows to the great outdoors.

The nonprofit professional theater, at 1924 Fredericksburg Rd. in the heart of the Deco District, said June 26 that as long as any sort of social distancing is mandated, its actors won’t be able to perform indoors. “All indications are telling us that social distancing will be necessary well into the year 2021,” the theater’s executive director and artistic director, Kelly Roush, says in a message to the organization’s patrons.

The Classic Theatre is calling its 13th season “a season of Theatre in the Rough.” The nonprofit hopes to open its 13th season this fall. There’s no word yet on performance dates and outdoor locations.

Moving productions outdoors “will allow us to produce excellent theatre while adhering to proper physical distancing measures. We are working on some exciting collaborations to make this happen,” Roush says.

In March, as the spread of the coronavirus turned into a pandemic, The Classic Theatre suspended its productions. They’ve been on hold since then. At the time of the shutdown, the theater was preparing to stage Our Town.

Earlier this month, Roush said that although performing arts venues in Texas were allowed to reopen at a certain capacity, physical distancing was still required and The Classic Theatre wouldn’t be able to welcome back patrons. With the theater’s 99-seat capacity, lone exit and entrance, and small lobby, social-distancing requirements would mean the theater could seat only 10 patrons.

“We long to be together again with our artists and patrons to have a shared experience of live theatre. One of our greatest strengths pre-COVID was the intimacy of our space,” Roush says in the June 26 message. “In the current environment, it is one of our greatest challenges. We have been working diligently to figure out how to continue producing excellent theatre that is relevant, diverse, entertaining, and transformative, and at the same time keeps our patrons, artists, volunteers, and staff safe.”

The Classic Theatre, founded in 2008, stages five major productions per season, plus a series of smaller productions.

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SPARE ART

North San Antonio gets crafty with new creative supplies shop

Photo by Ismael Rodriguez.

Local nonprofit Spare Parts recently opened its brick-and-mortar center for creative reuse.

One local nonprofit organization has spent years getting environmental accountability and community education down to a fine art. And now it’s getting crafty with a new brick-and-mortar shop in North San Antonio aimed to help locals to go green.

Spare Parts was founded in 2010 by executive director and longtime arts educator Mary Elizabeth Cantú to provide a creative spark for area students and schools lacking arts funding and resources. Through a variety of educational programs, public art exhibitions, events, and the organization’s traveling Mini Art Museum, Spare Parts has enlightened thousands of students and San Antonians, all while fostering reuse practices and sustainability, a key tenet of the nonprofit.

Spare Parts’ latest endeavor is another artistic triumph. Its new center for creative reuse, located at 13451 Wetmore Rd., is nothing less than a crafter’s delight. The shop features an impressive array of “pre-loved” and price-reduced artsy merchandise — from paint supplies and paper crafts to sewing items, beading and jewelry, school and office supplies, vintage gadgets, and crafting kits — all of which has been rescued from area landfills.

Cantú notes that proceeds from the new Spare Parts’ shop will enable the organization to further increase creative and educational experiences for San Antonio students and families. But even more so, she hopes the shop will help locals embrace the concept that one person’s trash can be another’s artistic treasure.

“There really isn’t any more room in the world for this stuff. Buying pre-loved at places like Spare Parts or other stores is a way to reduce the amount of things [people] feel that they need,” Cantú said in a recent interview with the San Antonio Sentinel. “We’re challenging people to rethink things around them, buy pre-loved, and find a way to be creative in their lives.”

In the time of COVID-19, however, getting the creative juices flowing isn’t as simple as popping into the Spare Parts shop. Though the center for creative reuse is open, the store is currently offering only weekend curbside pickup of items ordered through its website. But crafters shouldn’t despair, as Spare Parts is offering private in-person shopping experiences in the new year, with the first planned for January 16 and 17.

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