Black Box Theatre gears up for online production coming in June

The state’s public health order prohibiting large gatherings doesn’t mean you can’t watch a play presented live by Black Box Theatre (BBT).

Theatre owners Ceil and Peter Herman have teamed up with one of their favorite playwrights, William Missouri Downs, to present “Asking Strangers About the Meaning of Life,” a new play which Downs wrote especially for a Zoom presentation. The play’s running time is one hour and 25 minutes.

“Since you cannot come to the theatre, we decided we would bring the theatre to you live,” the Hermans said.

There will be two live performances of the play: 8 p.m. on Friday, June 19, and again on Saturday, June 20. Up to 90 reservations will be accepted for each performance. To make a reservation, send an email to nstcbbt@zianet.com.

About 10 to 15 minutes before the start of each live performance, those with “seats” will receive an e-mail from the theatre “inviting you to join the join the performance,” Ceil Herman said. You don’t need a camera on your computer to watch the show.

Las Cruces actor and artist Joshua Taulbee is directing the play for Black Box. The cast is comprised of Teddy Aspen Sanchez, Scott Brocato, Debbie Jo Felix, Rachel Thomas Chappell and Luz Resendez.

BBT has produced five of Downs’ plays, "Cockeyed," "Mad Gravity," "Seagulls in a Cherry Tree," "Headsets: A View from the Light Booth" and, most recently, "How to Survive Your Family at Christmas.”

Downs, who lives in northern Colorado, has won awards as both a playwright and a screenwriter. His plays have been produced in more than 150 other theatres worldwide. Downs has an MFA in acting from the University of Illinois and an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA. He worked as script secretary on the NBC television series “Moonlighting,” was a staff writer on the “My Two Dads” series and also wrote episodes for the series “Fresh Prince of Bel Aire and “Amen.” 

“Directing ‘Asking Strangers About the Meaning of Life’ for BBT is an exciting opportunity,” said Taulbee, who has acted in many plays at BBT and also has designed sets for the theatre.

“It's a play about now,” she said. “It's about the struggles we all have been facing in these recent times. The show was appealing to me because it eloquently describes life during a pandemic and exposes the absurdity and uncontrollable nature of our current situation. Ultimately, though, for me, this show is about hope and finding a way forward, whether it's through dancing, taking a ‘jump of faith,’ or looking for a good book. Many theater companies have turned to Zoom and other streaming services to present their work. I am thrilled that BBT will be joining them. It will, of course, come with its own set of challenges, but fortunately I was able to gather a cast of theater veterans who will undoubtedly rise to the task. It's a monumental task, but an important one.”

“We are delighted to be producing Bill Downs' sixth play at the Black Box Theatre and to be able to offer our audiences some theatre in a format that is completely safe for them, as well as the actors,” Ceil Herman said. “Most of the actors already have experience with Zoom rehearsals for ‘The Majestic Kid’ (which is currently in rehearsal for live, in-theatre performances at a yet-to-be determined date). This play was written for a Zoom format, in that it has only two characters in each scene. Each actor will be playing two different characters, all offering their opinions about the meaning of life. Peter and I have been watching many plays from other theatres that are available by streaming or Zoom, mostly from archived productions. While that is great, it's also wonderful to be producing a new play and we are very grateful to Bill that he allowed us to have this opportunity,” Herman said.