Even Mother Nature Can’t Stop Chanticleers’ Play
It’s been a long, tough road for Chanticleers Theatre's production of the popular musical “Little Shop of Horrors,” which plays through March 5 at the Castro Valley Community Center Park.
Initially scheduled for fall 2022, the show had been moved to February, causing its own issues. But by January, the cast and crew, under the guidance of director Sue Ellen Nelsen, were back at it, ready to come to their Wednesday rehearsal one month before opening. That's when they got the news. A tree had fallen next to the theater and knocked out the power and the phone lines.
Not only that, but the fallen tree had uprooted another tree that now teetered dangerously over the theater. The park was immediately closed by the Hayward Area Recreation Department (H.A.R.D.), and everyone was advised not to go into the 99-seat theater until the tree was cut down. Only then could power and phone lines be restored, and only then could rehearsals start again at the nonprofit community theater organization with a rich history dating back to 1948.
With only a month away, the cast and crew worked together to find rehearsal spaces. From a church in Concord to spaces graciously donated by H.A.R.D., the show rehearsed inside as storms raged outside.
Constant rains made removing the tree difficult, and days turned into weeks, but as long as the cast could be back in the theater by February, everything would still be on track.
Then on January 29, a second call came. This time, the roof had leaked, and the dressing room was flooded three weeks before opening. Now, this was something that actually could derail the opening of the show. The main auditorium had been spared, but a theater can't perform a musical if its cast can't get dressed before the show.
However, as it has been said many times before, the show must go on. Ideas were thrown around. Maybe have them all get dressed in the kitchen. Eventually, it was decided that the actors needed their dressing room. So, the roof was tarped, the carpets were ripped out, throw rugs were laid down, and by the time the cast was let back into the building, things seemed back on track. The show would open on time.
Then, a third event happened on February 2, the day before technical rehearsals. It was a family tragedy for one of the show's cast members. This tragedy would force them out of town indefinitely and leave the show with one fewer character with only one week until opening.
Chanticleers' new Artistic Director, Jacob Russell-Snyder, has mixed feelings about the ordeal.
"You know, I come from an Improv background where we are taught to say ‘Yes, and' to a situation, and that's how I approach adversity," Russell-Snyder said. "Yes, this happened, and we can't have our theater, and what are we going to do about it? But after a while, you gotta start admitting to yourself; this is a lot."
As the scenic crew works overtime to finish the set and actors meet in hallways to adjust to one less cast member, Russell-Snyder can't help but smile.
"I love this. Everyone is doing their job, doing what they can to put it all together. I couldn't be more proud of all these people," Russell-Snyder said. "This is why we do theater. I will say this, though. This officially begins our new fundraising campaign: The Save Our Building Campaign, or as I'm calling it, The S.O.B. campaign. I think that sums it up rather nicely."
"Little Shop of Horrors" plays through March 5. All performances will take place at Chanticleers Theater, 3683 Quail Avenue, Castro Valley Community Center Park. Tickets are $15-$30 each, with $10 student tickets available on Thursdays. Patrons can make purchases online at https://chanticleers.org/ or call 510-SEE-LIVE (510-733-5483). Group discounts are also available.
