Return engagement: 4 Chairs Theatre's 'Island Song' earns second run online
If Lauren Berman asked Joe Farrell to jump, on his way up, he would ask how high. That's how much the actor respects the Buffalo Grove director who reached out to him earlier this year about performing in her theater company's digital production of the musical "Island Song."
"I said yes right away," said Farrell, an Arlington Heights native. "I didn't care what it was or when it would be."
Farrell has never done a virtual show, but he trusted Berman's instincts. He says the 4 Chairs Theatre production, which premiered online earlier this year and returns for on-demand streaming Friday, June 18, "exceeded all expectations."
A tale of the personal and professional struggles of five 20-somethings negotiating life in New York City, the 2016 tuner is by Sam Carner (lyrics) and Derek Gregor (music) from a story by Carner, Gregor and Marlo Hunter.
Berman, a resident director at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights and currently the guest director at Glenview's Glenbrook South High School, listened to the score at the suggestion of former students. It spoke to her. And it spoke to the isolation and the yearning for human connection that many people experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ultimately, says Berman, the show provides a sense of hope.
"When you think of hope it's a collective possibility," she said. "And weren't we all looking for that?"
Cast member Kaitlin Feely agrees.
"The story is about finding the light especially in the darkest of times," said the Buffalo Grove native who's loved the musical since she discovered it five years ago.
Characters experience hard times but never fall into despair, said Feely, 23.
"That's what's beautiful about this. The characters are strong enough not to fall into that deep, dark place," she said. "When the going gets tough, the tough keep going."
Determined to produce the show despite the pandemic, Berman conceived of "Island Song" as a virtual production with actors filming scenes alone from their homes. Those scenes were subsequently edited together.
"I give the actors so much credit," said Berman, who founded 4 Chairs Theatre in 2018 to promote inclusivity, acceptance "and give people a chance who may not have been heard or seen before."
For the actors to "express emotional truth without another person being (present) was remarkable to me," she said.
Rehearsing via Zoom and filming separately posed challenges, particularly when it came to the timing of responses and delays associated with Zoom that sometimes made harmonizing difficult. But all the actors were on board.
Farrell, 27, agrees but admits rehearsing online was frustrating initially.
"We pushed through it," he said.
Like many actors working virtually, Farrell missed the camaraderie that exists among theater artists when they're in a room together. But Feely says despite not being in the same room, the cast clicked.
"Even online you could sense the energy," she said. "You could see everyone's passion."
Both actors hope to someday perform the show live. So does Berman.
As normal life resumes, "Island Song" reminds us of what's important and the commonality of the human struggle, she said, adding "it's not just about finding yourself, but once you find yourself holding onto it for dear life."
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"Island Song"
When: Streams online Friday, June 18, through June 27
Where: 4chairstheatre.org
Tickets: $15