THEATER scene by Scott Lynch
Scott has performed in community theater with SVCT & Limelight for over ten years , is a Gilroy native , and attended local schools . He earned his BS and MS in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University .
Women in Local Theater
The Show Will Go On by Jordan Rosenfeld
In challenging times , the arts uplift and inspire , offering reflection , validation and escape . Live theater is one of the more robust aspects of South County arts , and the pandemic ’ s impact has left a noticeable gap . While physical stages have been largely shut down , three women in local theater discuss the enduring power of theater and their certainty that the show will go on once the pandemic wanes .
Whitney Pintello
When you say the words local theater , for many folks , the Pintello Comedy Theater is among the first to spring to mind in South County . Whitney Pintello , 52 , an artist and thespian , has been acting alongside her family since the early 80s , when her father dipped a toe into community theater . Soon , she , her brother Simon , father , Rod , and mother , Marion , were all performing together .
“ It was so unique that that all four of us would be in a show ,” Pintello said .
Her father was so invested in the theater experience that he set aside some money to open their own theater company focusing on comedies on Church Street , in Gilroy , with the attitude that they ’ d have a lot of fun at worst , and at best , it might become a going concern . That lark is still going strong eighteen years later . That is , until March 2020 , when the coronavirus pandemic swept through the United States . They were two weeks from opening a play , “ The Long Weekend ,” by their family ’ s favorite playwright , Norm Foster , when they were told they had to shut the theater down .
“ We really thought we would only be shut down for a couple of months ,” Pintello said .
As those months passed without light at the end of the pandemic tunnel , the reality sunk in . “ Our attendees are an older demographic , so we wanted to be careful .”
With a lot of time to kill , rather than dwell , they decided to invest energy back into the theater itself , which is housed inside “ The Grange ,” an agricultural non-profit in Gilroy that they rent . With grants from
the non-profit , they refinished the floors , improved the electrical , lighting and painted in anticipation of a future opening .
Though they are yearning to reopen , Pintello said ,“ We are taking our cues from Broadway .” She suspects that by the time they open , “ Mainstream America will be back to business .”
Pintello is looking forward to focusing more on her directing chops when it ’ s back to business as usual , something that she has been drawn to more and more over the years . “ I probably prefer directing . It ’ s a treat to be onstage , but as I mature maybe there ’ s something about shedding my ego , because I don ’ t need to be seen every minute . You also build a lot of personal connection with the actors .”
The whole Pintello family is excited for that day the theater can reopen . “ We think it will be so restorative for people to come back to theater , such a warm welcome ,” she said .
Adrianne Wilkinson
Adrianne Wilkinson , a 41-year-old academic coach for teachers in the Gilroy Unified School District , spends much of her free time acting , directing and costume designing . Involved in theater since she was eleven , Wilkinson has keenly felt the loss of live theater in the wake of pandemic shut-downs . “ Theater has always been where I feel most comfortable . It helps me discover new parts of myself ,” she said .
She describes herself as “ shy and introverted ” normally , and someone who not only thrives in the
80
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN SPRING 2021 gmhtoday . com