Dos Pueblos High Presents: PIPPIN

Although Pippin is very loosely based on Pepin the Hunchback, son of Charlemagne, Schwartz, O.
Hirson, original Broadway director Bob Fosse, and most recently Diana Paulus, have strayed far from the
historical Pepin and crafted the story in bold conceptual strokes. Stephen Schwartz said of the material:
“As I grew and changed, so did the content of the show, which was sort of metaphorically
semi-autobiographical. Thematically, it was my first time dealing with the content that has appeared
again and again in my work: the tension between reality and romanticism, the need to accept life as it is
and not as we would wish it, father/son issues, and the necessity of taking personal responsibility for
one’s own life. The songs are a reflection of those themes.”

Taking his cue from these bold conceptions, Director Clark Sayre and his artistic team, have completely
re-envisioned the musical once again, in this case, born of the necessity to follow strict COVID guidelines
and the ongoing uncertainty of direct audience interaction. Dos Pueblos’ production will feature a mix of
live, pre-recorded and environmental theater. The audience will be seated either in the comfort of their
cars (as they watch the mostly live performance projected,” drive-in-movie style,” on the side of the
theater) or from their home via live streaming. The live performance will feature lots of surprises,
utilizing a parking lot stage, an outdoor TV studio-like stage, and the theater’s unique architecture. The
show will switch between these “live” venues and prerecorded music video-like songs. Sayre says: “It is
completely unlike anything I’ve ever done or seen in my 40+ years of directing and theater going. It’s
both exhilarating and terrifying. It is theater completely reimagined for COVID times.”
Instead of a more traditional stage experience, which the students also lost last Spring with the
cancelation of Shrek, students are learning the techniques of TV/Film including: pre-recording vocal
tracks in a sound studio of sorts (individual practice rooms,) filming, lip dubbing, editing and
collaborating.

Sayre is very enthusiastic about his newly assembled production team. His long-term choreographer
(and ex-student) Gioia Marchese serves as advisor to student choreographer Viviana Cruz. Marian Azdril
of San Marcos and Showstopper fame serves as costume designer/prop mistress. Noel Greer returns
from Houston’s Alley Theater to design and technical direct and Sayre’s own son, Blaine Sayre, a recent
graduate of UCI’s Jazz Music Department and current music teacher at the Santa Barbara Community
Academy, serves as musical director, sound engineer and musical editor. Rounding out the artistic team
are student video editors: Marissa English, Alison Togami, Ben King and Tara Woodard. John Dent serves
as Technical Advisor.

So far the rehearsal process has included three completely different conceptions, a ten day COVID
quarantine, canceled outdoor rehearsals due to rain and hail and inconvenient COVID-safe rehearsal
practices. “But unlike last year, this year, the show WILL go on, in whatever format and state we are in.”
Sayre continues, “This year, like everything else throughout the world, our Spring show necessitates a
Plan A, B, C and probably D. Whichever “plan” audiences end up seeing, it will certainly be something
that Pippin himself longs for: an extraordinary experience.”

Dos Pueblos Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges its generous 2020-21 donors including: Santa
Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara Education Foundation and Boone Graphics.
Tickets are $10 per person for either the drive-in or live stream options and may be purchased at
https://www.dptheatrecompany.org For more information, please contact Clark Sayre at
csayre@sbunified.org