Phase II - Waxing Crescent
Shadowed Reflections
March 12, 2020. The day Broadway went dark.
Five years ago today, I was standing onstage in a small but mighty Texas theatre, performing as Banquo. The news had just broken—Broadway was shutting down, and the ripple effect was immediate. One by one, theaters across the country went dark. Performances canceled. Seasons cut short. The communal heartbeat of live theatre was suddenly silent.
At first, we joked that the Macbeth curse had something to do with it. It was a way to laugh in the face of something too big to comprehend. But behind the humor, there was uncertainty. Would the lights ever come back? Would audiences return? Would we, as artists, find our way home?
Theatre did return. The ghost light—left burning in those darkened spaces—became more than just tradition. It was a promise. A quiet, unwavering signal that no matter how long the darkness lasted, the stage would not stay empty forever.
But the stage is more than a space. It is an idea, a force, a mirror held up to the world. And now, five years later, we find ourselves in a different kind of darkness. Theatres may not be physically shutting down, but there are those who are trying to silence what theatre stands for. The power of storytelling. The ability to challenge, to reflect, to disturb, to heal. To say the things that are too dangerous, too raw, too true to be spoken elsewhere.
Shadowplay Theatre was built for this moment. Our mission has always been to step into the dark and shine a light—not only to offer comfort, but to offer truth. And just as that ghost light led us home once before, we will hold steady now.
The best-laid plans often take unexpected turns. When we set out to build Shadowplay Theatre, we envisioned a slow and methodical rise—assembling a team, securing a stage, and drawing the curtain back on something wholly unique in live performance. That vision hasn’t changed. But the world around us has.
If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you know exactly what we mean. These last few months have been... revealing. Forces beyond our control are reshaping the landscape, and in times like these, adaptability isn’t just an asset—it’s survival.
So, we’re stepping ahead of schedule. Our first production will not debut under the dim glow of stage lights or within the walls of a black box theater. Instead, we are embracing the digital realm—bringing our vision to life in a format that allows us to stay true to our mission while sidestepping the obstacles placed in our path. This isn’t a pivot. It’s a test of everything we stand for. That’s not to say we will never “trod the boards:” On the contrary, that day will most assuredly arrive - perhaps not on Halloween as we had anticipated, but that’s the great thing about the future. One can never say for certain.
Shadowplay was never about doing things the “usual” way. We exist to tell the stories others might shy away from, to explore the edges of darkness and light, and to carve out a space where difficult conversations unfold through art. Now, that mission faces its first true trial.
What does this mean for you? Stay close. Pay attention. The show is still coming—it’s just arriving in a way none of us originally planned. If anything, this shift only strengthens our resolve.
If they want shadows, we’ll give them a full eclipse.
More details soon. Until then… keep watching.
— Shadowplay Theatre Co.
