Roving Actors Repertory Ensemble Inc

RARE INC. ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO PRESENT 3 FULLY STAGED THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS: (#1) DEATHTRAP, A SUSPENSE THRILLER ABOUT A PLAYWRIGHT AND HIS PROTÉGÉ, (#2) BATHROOM HUMOR, A COMEDY CENTERED ON A HOUSE PARTY IN A SWANKY NYC SUBURB, AND (#3) CABARET, THE CLASSIC BROADWAY DARK DRAMA MUSICAL BY JOHN KANDER & FRED EBB. ALL THREE OF THESE PRODUCTIONS WERE PLANNED TO BE PRESENTED AT THE INTIMATE COPAKE GRANGE THEATER IN COLUMBIA COUNTY NY. HOWEVER, FATE INTERVENED WHEN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC & THE ASSOCIATED SOCIAL DISTANCING RESTRICTIONS IN NY STATE CAME INTO FORCE SHORTLY AFTER OUR SUCCESSFUL FEBRUARY 2020 PRODUCTION OF DEATHTRAP AT THE COPAKE GRANGE THEATER. THIS FORCED US TO CANCEL THE BALANCE OF OUR LIVE IN-PERSON MUSIC & THEATER SEASON, INCLUDING OUR MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS OF BATHROOM HUMOR & CABARET, OUR SUMMER MURDER MYSTERY SERIES, OUR SUMMER LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES, AND THE STAGED-READING & KARAOKE NIGHT EVENTS WE HAD SCHEDULED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COPAKE GRANGE. WHEN WE WERE FORCED TO CANCEL THE BULK OF OUR IN-PERSON LIVE THEATER & MUSIC SEASON FOR 2020, WE DECIDED THAT WE HAD TO FIND A WAY TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUITY WITH LIVE THEATER PERFORMANCES. BY COMMUNITY WE MEAN OUR ENTHUSIASTIC AUDIENCE MEMBERS & EQUALLY IMPORTANTLY THE MANY LOCAL ACTORS THAT LOOK TO RARE INC. TO PROVIDE QUALITY OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO PERFORM IN OUR PRODUCTIONS & LIVE EVENTS. WE DECIDED TO PIVOT TO PRESENTING A SERIES OF LIVE STAGED-READINGS USING THE CAPABILITIES OF ZOOM (WWW.ZOOM.COM) TO ALLOW OUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS TO SEE EACH LIVE VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE. THIS STARTED AS A 5 READING SERIES IN APRIL THROUGH JUNE 2020 AS WE HELD OUT HOPE THAT THE FALL MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION OF CABARET WITH FULL-ORCHESTRA MIGHT STILL BE POSSIBLE. WHEN IT BECAME CLEAR THAT NO LIVE THEATER WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR THE REST OF 2020, AND THAT OUR INITIAL 5 READINGS WERE VERY WELL RECEIVED BY OUR AUDIENCES & ACTORS, WE DECIDED TO EXTEND OUR VIRTUAL LIVE-STAGED READING SERIES TO THE END OF 2020. ULTIMATELY, WE PRESENTED A TOTAL OF 15 VIRTUAL LIVE-STAGED READINGS, WITH A MIX OF LICENSED SCRIPTS & CLASSIC RADIO DRAMAS, CULMINATING IN A CHRISTMAS CAROL ON DECEMBER 13TH, 2020. RARE INC. ALSO COLLABORATED WITH THE HUDSON VALLEY ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS (HVAPA) AS HVAPA STRUGGLED WITH HOW THEY MIGHT CONTINUE THEIR ANNUAL PRESENTATION OF THE NUTCRACKER BALLET IN SPITE OF THE ONGOING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS. HVAPA ELECTED TO VIDEO RECORD SCENES FROM THE NUTCRACKER BALLET AT THEIR STUDIO IN COLUMBIA COUNTY, USING FACE-MASKS & MINIMAL CAST ON-STAGE & BOTH MASK AND SOCIAL-DISTANCING "IN THE WINGS". HVAPA'S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ASKED FOR OUR HELP IN MAKING THIS HAPPEN. RARE INC. RESPONDED BY PROVIDING A FULL THEATRICAL LIGHTING RIG, INSTALLING IT AT THE HVAPA STUDIO, AND THEN DESIGNING & OPERATING THE LIGHTS IN COLLABORATION WITH HVAPA'S VIDEOGRAPHER TO BEST SUPPORT THE DANCERS. WE ALSO PROVIDE ACTING TALENT FOR THE VIDEO RECORDING, SPECIFICALLY THE COSTUMED NARRATOR & VOICEOVER ARTIST. OUR OBJECTIVES ARE ALWAYS TO PRESENT HIGH QUALITY MAIN-STAGE PRODUCTIONS ON THE LOCAL STAGE FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR ENTHUSIASTIC AUDIENCE(S), TO PROVIDE QUALITY PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES TO THE ASPIRING ACTORS, MUSICIANS, & TECHNICAL STAFF MEMBERS WE WORK WITH FROM OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, AND TO CONTINUE TO PRESENT MUSICAL THEATER WITH ITS' INTENDED FULL ORCHESTRA ACCOMPANIMENT THAT IS A GREAT TREAT FOR OUR AUDIENCES AND ACTORS ALIKE.

RARE INC. ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO PRESENT 3 FULLY STAGED THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS: (#1) DEATHTRAP, A SUSPENSE THRILLER ABOUT A PLAYWRIGHT AND HIS PROTÉGÉ, (#2) BATHROOM HUMOR, A COMEDY CENTERED ON A HOUSE PARTY IN A SWANKY NYC SUBURB, AND (#3) CABARET, THE CLASSIC BROADWAY DARK DRAMA MUSICAL BY JOHN KANDER & FRED EBB. ALL THREE OF THESE PRODUCTIONS WERE PLANNED TO BE PRESENTED AT THE INTIMATE COPAKE GRANGE THEATER IN COLUMBIA COUNTY NY. HOWEVER, FATE INTERVENED WHEN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC & THE ASSOCIATED SOCIAL DISTANCING RESTRICTIONS IN NY STATE CAME INTO FORCE SHORTLY AFTER OUR SUCCESSFUL FEBRUARY 2020 PRODUCTION OF DEATHTRAP AT THE COPAKE GRANGE THEATER. THIS FORCED US TO CANCEL THE BALANCE OF OUR LIVE IN-PERSON MUSIC & THEATER SEASON, INCLUDING OUR MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS OF BATHROOM HUMOR & CABARET, OUR SUMMER MURDER MYSTERY SERIES, OUR SUMMER LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES, AND THE STAGED-READING & KARAOKE NIGHT EVENTS WE HAD SCHEDULED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COPAKE GRANGE. WHEN WE WERE FORCED TO CANCEL THE BULK OF OUR IN-PERSON LIVE THEATER & MUSIC SEASON FOR 2020, WE DECIDED THAT WE HAD TO FIND A WAY TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUITY WITH LIVE THEATER PERFORMANCES. BY COMMUNITY WE MEAN OUR ENTHUSIASTIC AUDIENCE MEMBERS & EQUALLY IMPORTANTLY THE MANY LOCAL ACTORS THAT LOOK TO RARE INC. TO PROVIDE QUALITY OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO PERFORM IN OUR PRODUCTIONS & LIVE EVENTS. WE DECIDED TO PIVOT TO PRESENTING A SERIES OF LIVE STAGED-READINGS USING THE CAPABILITIES OF ZOOM (WWW.ZOOM.COM) TO ALLOW OUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS TO SEE EACH LIVE VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE. THIS STARTED AS A 5 READING SERIES IN APRIL THROUGH JUNE 2020 AS WE HELD OUT HOPE THAT THE FALL MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION OF CABARET WITH FULL-ORCHESTRA MIGHT STILL BE POSSIBLE. WHEN IT BECAME CLEAR THAT NO LIVE THEATER WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR THE REST OF 2020, AND THAT OUR INITIAL 5 READINGS WERE VERY WELL RECEIVED BY OUR AUDIENCES & ACTORS, WE DECIDED TO EXTEND OUR VIRTUAL LIVE-STAGED READING SERIES TO THE END OF 2020. ULTIMATELY, WE PRESENTED A TOTAL OF 15 VIRTUAL LIVE-STAGED READINGS, WITH A MIX OF LICENSED SCRIPTS & CLASSIC RADIO DRAMAS, CULMINATING IN A CHRISTMAS CAROL ON DECEMBER 13TH, 2020. RARE INC. ALSO COLLABORATED WITH THE HUDSON VALLEY ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS (HVAPA) AS HVAPA STRUGGLED WITH HOW THEY MIGHT CONTINUE THEIR ANNUAL PRESENTATION OF THE NUTCRACKER BALLET IN SPITE OF THE ONGOING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS. HVAPA ELECTED TO VIDEO RECORD SCENES FROM THE NUTCRACKER BALLET AT THEIR STUDIO IN COLUMBIA COUNTY, USING FACE-MASKS & MINIMAL CAST ON-STAGE & BOTH MASK AND SOCIAL-DISTANCING "IN THE WINGS". HVAPA'S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ASKED FOR OUR HELP IN MAKING THIS HAPPEN. RARE INC. RESPONDED BY PROVIDING A FULL THEATRICAL LIGHTING RIG, INSTALLING IT AT THE HVAPA STUDIO, AND THEN DESIGNING & OPERATING THE LIGHTS IN COLLABORATION WITH HVAPA'S VIDEOGRAPHER TO BEST SUPPORT THE DANCERS. WE ALSO PROVIDE ACTING TALENT FOR THE VIDEO RECORDING, SPECIFICALLY THE COSTUMED NARRATOR & VOICEOVER ARTIST. OUR OBJECTIVES ARE ALWAYS TO PRESENT HIGH QUALITY MAIN-STAGE PRODUCTIONS ON THE LOCAL STAGE FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR ENTHUSIASTIC AUDIENCE(S), TO PROVIDE QUALITY PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES TO THE ASPIRING ACTORS, MUSICIANS, & TECHNICAL STAFF MEMBERS WE WORK WITH FROM OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, AND TO CONTINUE TO PRESENT MUSICAL THEATER WITH ITS' INTENDED FULL ORCHESTRA ACCOMPANIMENT THAT IS A GREAT TREAT FOR OUR AUDIENCES AND ACTORS ALIKE.