PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SOUTH VALLEY CIVIC THEATER

they utilized Zoom and Facebook Live . Everyone involved had to adjust , learn new techniques , and adapt to the new reality of theater in the time of COVID . Adapt they did .

Their first production , “ Kalamazoo ” was available for online viewing on July 10 and ran through July 12 . The two-person , one act comedy featured Roz Farotte as “ Peg ” and Peter Mandel as “ Irv ” and told the story of two babyboomers looking for love a second time around . Next came “ Bad Auditions … On Camera ” a one-night only live performance featuring 19 SVCT actors — streamed via Facebook Live on July 26 . Produced by Adrianne Wilkinson , Tiffany Goller and Mary Beth Anderson , this interactive ensemble comedy about a casting director with one day to find an actor to fill a role — a seemingly simple task — invited viewers to vote for the actor most worthy of the role .

“ Tru ” a one-person show adapted from the works of Truman Capote , and reprising Bill Tindall in his acclaimed 2016 representation of Capote , streamed online August 28-30 . “ 2 Across ” a green screen production featuring Whitney Pintello and Charlie Gilmore , followed the 80-minute BART train ride where two opposites collide , engage , and are changed for the better — ran October 9 through 11 . On October 24 , SVCT streamed a teen dance class online where participants learned a song from the Disney hit musical “ Newsies ” under the direction of Instructor / Choreographer Christine Carrillo and Producer Trish King . Staying in stride , the group produced a youth dance class to the tune of “ I Just Can ’ t Wait to Be King ” from the “ Lion King ” on December 5 . The class was held outdoors at the SVCT warehouse with all social distancing and protocols in place .

SVCT finished the year strong with

the Mary Beth Anderson production of “ The Night Before Christmas ” featuring Rob Christopher as Santa Claus and Avery Mace as Santa ’ s helper , available online December 11-25 . They left no doubt that a small group of tenacious and creative people with vision and courage , can succeed even under the worst circumstances .

SVCT relies almost exclusively on ticket sales and sponsorships . With three-fourths of ticket sales lost in 2020 , the group found some reprieve through the Gilroy Foundation — receiving a grant sufficient to provide for the lighting upgrades to the Limelight Theater . Like most small non-profit organizations , what SVCT needs most is a public with the vison for their cause — enhanced and expanded arts in South County , and the tenacity to help make it happen . “ We went from a devastating place of recoiling and reassessing to a place where we started creating and connecting to audiences by learning new skills and using the technologies available ,” Mandel observed . For SVCT , the future , with all its uncertainties , still looks bright . “ Once we come out of this , we will be a theater company serving all of South County .”

That future includes live performances at the Limelight Theater — an intimate setting redesigned for maximum audience experience , including a full offering of libations and bigger productions and musicals at the Morgan Hill Playhouse .

Visit South Valley Civic Theater online at : svct . org to find information about upcoming shows . Support this local gem of an organization by catching their upcoming online productions . If able , support their efforts to keep the arts alive in South County . Sign up for their newsletter

and follow them on social media … and stay tuned . Soon , we will all be enjoying live performances again . Until then , SVCT will continue to do what they do best — adapt , create , and thrive .

Written By Elizabeth Mandel