Olney Theatre To Mark One Year Since Covid Shut Down Live Performance

Olney Theatre Center marks one year since its last live, in-person performance by bringing together the cast, playwright and director of that last, eerily timed production of The Amateurs on Monday, March 15 at 7:00 pm. One Year Later, a pay-what-you-can event will be viewable on Facebook, YouTube and the OTC website. All funds raised will go to support theatreWashington's Taking Care Fund. Reservations available at: olneytheatre.org/oneyearlater

The loss of live theatre was made more poignant at OTC when our production of The Amateurs, a play about making theatre in the midst of a deadly pandemic, was forced to close only half-way through its run. At the time, the resonance between art and reality was almost too large to fully grasp. Reviewing for the Washington Post, Celia Wren wrote,

Set amid a rampaging 14th-century plague, Jordan Harrison's "The Amateurs" might seem to gain topicality from the current coronavirus outbreak. But in truth, the insights in this smart comedy are evergreen, as the Olney Theatre Center production makes clear.

Now, exactly one year after our last live performance, the cast reunites with playwright Jordan Harrison and director Jason King Jones to watch clips from the original production, and discuss how the experience and the play itself feel different after 12 months of COVID. They'll explore how theatre and theatre artists survive, as well as take questions, comments, and observations from the online audience.