Even though the stage at San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre remains dark, due to COVID-19 restrictions and safety protocols, the theatre continues doing its utmost to stay connected with the community through a unique online talk show called THE INTERMISSION SHOW. Hosted by SLO REP’s Managing Artistic Director Kevin Harris, THE INTERMISSION SHOW was created as part of the theatre’s efforts to keep in touch with artists, audiences and the Central Coast community as a whole during this time in which live performances are not possible. Just 10-20 minutes in length, individual shows are posted on YouTube and Facebook every Friday as early as 8 am, and no later than 3 pm. Shows feature SLO REP behind-the-scenes news, video check-ins with actors, artists, friends and family, brief performances featuring students participating in the ACT Spotlight educational program, a generous dose of wacky comedy, and a new segment (added last October) called Exploring Diverse Voices in Theatre, wherein Mr. Harris highlights the work of BIPOC playwrights and encourages SLO REP audiences to read the plays and learn more about these important artists.
THE INTERMISSION SHOW aired its first episode on Friday, April 3, 2020. On Friday, March 12, 2021, the show will air its 80th episode, marking the one-year anniversary of the pandemic shutdown.
According to Kevin Harris: “What was important to us from the very beginning was that we were not going to try to replicate the experience of live theatre. It’s extremely difficult to translate live theatre to video, and we knew that we had to go in a different direction and try—for better or for worse—to create something completely new and original from SLO REP. It’s worked for us for almost a year and we’re going to keep it going until we can open our doors and produce live theatre in downtown San Luis Obispo once again. Hopefully, very, VERY soon.”
Collectively, INTERMISSION SHOW episodes have now been played more than 50,000 times on Facebook and more than 16,000 times on YouTube, reaching nearly 400,000 people online since the first episode. Audiences can view past and present episodes of THE INTERMISSION SHOW on SLO REP’s YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/SLORepertoryTheatre/. Or on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/sloreptheatre/videos.
Viewers are encouraged to sponsor segments on the show by making donations of $75 or more to receive a “shout-out” on the show. Since last April, nearly 100 individuals have done just that, generating much-needed funds to keep this professional non-profit organization running while its stage is dark. SLO REP’s “unexpected intermission” and THE INTERMISSION SHOW have also received generous support from The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County and the City of San Luis Obispo’s Promotional Coordinating Committee. SLO REP’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and the “Diverse Voices in Theatre” segment on the show have been underwritten by a generous grant from the City of SLO’s DEI Task Force with additional support by Barbara-Jo Osborne.
To find out more about THE INTERMISSION SHOW, watch the show or to become a sponsor of the show, please visit https://www.slorep.org/shows/the-intermission-show/.