Artscene: All the wood's a stage Artscene: All the wood's a stage (August 31, 2005)

Theatre in the Woods stages five short plays in Woodside forest

By Renee Batti

Almanac News Editor

The world's great storytellers -- from Shakespeare and the Brothers Grimm to Sir Walter Scott and Stephen Sondheim -- have used the forest to evoke mystery, magic, danger and enchantment. Through the ages, the woods have been a favored stage for the theater of the imagination.

Three years ago, a close-knit quintet of local actors went one step further. Needing a theater space to continue performing together as they did when they trained in the same acting program, they decided to turn a local wood off Bear Gulch Road in Woodside into a theater -- with the forest floor as their stage.

Theatre in the Woods opened its fourth annual production last weekend, staging "The Ives of March (in August?)" -- a collection of five one-act comedies by acclaimed playwright David Ives. Performances are staged Saturdays and Sundays through September 18, with playgoers invited to picnic on the grounds at noon, an hour before show time.

Audience members don't exactly participate in the performance, but they're far from passive. Playgoers hike through a cathedral of redwoods and along running creeks to reach the location where each of the five short plays is performed. Which means that, in addition to their picnic lunches and sense of adventure, they need to bring along comfortable shoes.

Beginning with "Babel's in Arms," the play cycle continues with "Sure Thing," then "Time Flies." The second half of the production begins with "Foreplay, or the Art of the Fugue," and ends with "The Mystery at Twicknam Vicarage."
Into the woods

So how did the magic of theater merge with the wonders of the wood -- and then manage to survive for three years? Commitment and love of the creative process, say the band of friends and co-founders.

After the young actors finished studying with Studio A.C.T. -- the adult acting school of the American Conservatory Theater -- "we decided we could not part ways," says Gina Baleria, former Web producer of KCBS news and now associate program director of the Commonwealth Club. "So we decided to form a theater troupe."

But in the Bay Area, with the high cost of real estate and shortage of spaces large enough for performances, finding a venue is a daunting prospect. Enter fellow student Victor Carrion, who happened to have a forest property in Woodside, co-founder Karen Offereins explains. "It became a unique opportunity for a free venue in an unusual outdoor spot," she adds.

Unusual, indeed -- but an environment that kept the creative juices flowing for this coterie of young thespians.

Mr. Carrion says he and his friends agreed that creativity and art are fueled by what is organic and truthful. "We have found these qualities in nature, and we felt that both acting as an art and nature would have a synergistic effect in our productions."
Fertile forest ground

The environment of majestic trees, fragrant vegetation and running water as a place to create art has produced many magical moments for the actors, but one in particular stands out for Ms. Offereins. Before they had even produced their first show, she recalls, "the five of us were at the land together, and it was getting dark.

"We formed a circle and wrapped our arms around each other, thus forming our company and making a commitment to each other."

Also part of that circle were Brian Markley and Reagan Richey. Since that time, Allison Powell and Carolyn Zola have brought the number of company members to seven.

The maiden voyage for the troupe was a September 2002 performance of "Conversations in the Woods," an assortment of scenes and monologues performed during a guided hike through the woods.

The following summer, they performed David Mamet's "The Woods," and last year, Sartre's "No Exit."

"Performing in the woods allows us to be very creative with our show," says Ms. Baleria. "We look for shows that would work on the land, and we look for ways to use the space of the land -- such as our hikes.

"There are so many places that can be used as stage areas, that we can do something different every time. It's so fun when the show uses the land to create its illusion."
Enchantment and intimacy

"The unusual setting certainly provides a background of enchantment (as well as special challenges in the staging) and adds a level of intimacy that one gets only in the smallest of theaters," notes Severo Ornstein, a Skyline area resident who has attended all of the troupe's performances.

"But in the last analysis," he adds in an e-mail, "if the acting doesn't temporarily distract and remove you from the setting, then it fails theatrically."

This company's amateur actors, he says, "really put their hearts into the work and often succeed in making you forget where you are. Then you look around and are astounded."

Mr. Ornstein recalls last year's performance of "No Exit," "in which the heat of hell was (convincingly) portrayed to a shivering audience as the unreliable late-summer weather failed to cooperate."

The actors enjoy the random moments when hikers crossing through the woods stumble upon their performances, Mr. Carrion says, adding that the hikers often become part of the audience.

The long-term goal is to build an amphitheater in the woods, and the company is launching a fundraising drive soon to do so, Ms. Baleria says.

For now, they advise potential playgoers to wear sturdy shoes -- the trail is narrow and steep in spots -- and to make reservations, as there's seating for only 30 people.
INFORMATION

The Theater in the Woods outdoor stage is at 2170 Bear Gulch Road West, off Skyline Boulevard, north of Skylonda. The cost is $15-$20 (sliding scale), general; $10, students and seniors. For tickets/reservations and more information, log on at theatreinthewoods.com; you can also call 415-668-2879 for reservations.

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