Making a play

Playmakers of Baton Rouge is on the move this fall. After beginning its 29th season with a production of Live from Club Dead at the Shaw Center for the Arts on Oct. 13, the group will perform its remaining shows at the Reilly Theatre at LSU—a new permanent home for the professional theatre company devoted to entertaining young audiences.

With a bigger playing space and a thrust configuration, the Reilly offers a much more user-friendly venue for Playmakers’ patrons. Playmakers officials say the new setting will help the company better connect with audiences.

“Old and new patrons will experience a much more family-friendly environment at the Reilly,” says Shawn Halliday, the producing artistic director for Playmakers. In the new space, Halliday says, parking will be much more accessible, and the spacious lobby will make it easier for guests to purchase tickets and concessions. The thrust configuration will give the venue an arena feel where the audience will seem to be part of the action.

Karli Henderson, Playmakers’ business manager and education coordinator, compliments Reilly for the design possibilities it offers her troupe. With a bigger space, the sets can be larger and more intricate. The Reilly also allows the group to use more multimedia effects, which audiences will see in the show Project X next March.

With the popularity of 3D films in mind, Halliday says the new space will let audiences get very close to the action. Playmakers will offer carpet squares to allow the young audience to sit mere feet away from the actors.

“It doesn’t get more ‘3D’ than this,” Halliday says.

The thrust configuration helps the audience connect more closely, not only to the actors, but also with each other. The new venue will make it easier for audience members to see each other’s reactions.

“Moving to this new space gives Playmakers a fresh, new outlook with the ability to explore new ways of storytelling,” Henderson says.

This season’s lineup contains classics like Pinocchio and Pippi Longstocking and original works such as Project X. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit playmakers.net.