Feature: Brelby Theatre Company Thrives In Spite of COVID-19
Brelby Theatre Company is a prolific, independent theatre located in the heart of Historic Downtown Glendale Arizona.
Brelby's founders, Shelby and Brian Maticic, a couple with a toddler, are both theatre teachers, producers, directors, actors and designers. They're dealing with COVID-19 in their unique, inimitable way. They are nothing, if not resilient.
Brelby is remarkable. It isn't a professional theatre, because they can't pay living wages yet, though they do offer honoraria. Neither are they a community theatre. Brelby has a fiercely loyal resident company made up of volunteers who act, design, stage-manage, run the box office, and sweep up. They are, for the most part, theatre professionals. Most have theatre degrees, many graduate degrees. There is a shorthand vocabulary among the core that comes from years of working together as an artistic family.
Since COVID-19 forced a lockdown only one-week into rehearsals for Shakespeare In Love, Brelby has been busy as ever. Both Maticics have been teaching online for Metro Arts. They have also been home with their toddler and have been producing non-stop creative content on their dynamic, binge-worthy YouTube channel.
Shelby is sitting president of the AriZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence, and has been vigilantly promoting member companies' activities and lion-hearted efforts to survive.Brian has been going into Brelby's charming, empty theatre space, working on his own, building the set for Shakespeare In Love that will open someday, because as the play teaches us, "The show must - GO ON!"
Shakespeare in Love is funded by the City of Glendale's Centerline Arts & Cultural Initiative. (This generous funding is allowing Brelby to present the production for free to the general public.)
Shakespeare in Love
Based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard
and adapted for the stage by Lee Hall
with music by Paddy Cunneen
Details: www.brelby.com.
From This Author - Jeanmarie Simpson
Jeanmarie Simpson has been a working theatre artist since 1972 and has directed dozens of plays and musicals. She wrote and performed... (read more about this author)
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