Presenters and organizations

DESCRIPTION
Curbside Theater is a mobile outdoor platform for a concert experience of dance, music, and theatricality. With expert craftsmanship, it packs an impressive level of spectacle into a manageable and adaptable footprint. It is produced by SB Dance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that received a prestigious National Endowment for the Arts Grant for the Curbside 2023/24 season.

ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION
Curbside Theater was made in response to the shutdown of 2020, an obstacle that prevented audiences from engaging with live performing art. Later, we discovered Curbside solves many other obstacles that prevent people from going to the theater: geographic isolation, affordability, feeling like you belong and are welcome, and changing cultural attitudes about what satisfies our hunger for art.

PRODUCTION DETAILS
The show begins at dusk to allow stage lighting to be visible.

In Utah’s Wasatch Front, the Curbside Theater season runs from the end of July through the beginning of October, and dusk changes from around 8:45pm to 7:30pm during that period. Even on the hottest days, the temperature is usually pleasant at dusk.

Completely self-contained and requiring no support or infrastructure, the production features 5 dancers, a musical duo, one technician, and a technical package of lighting, audio, stage, backstage, power, and controls. The time frame is 1 hour set-up, 50 min performance duration, and 45 min take-down.

For seating, audiences members are usually asked to bring folding chairs or blankets and pads. Some hosts provide supplemental seating. We encourage pre-show activities like a social hour with food and drink, or a market with local goods and services, and even storytelling.

Curbside requires a relatively level performance area roughly 30ft wide x 25ft deep with lots of room for audience seating. The trailer-mounted stage is elevated 4ft because most audiences are on level ground. If possible, choose a site where the audience area gently slopes like a amphitheater. The site needs to accommodate for a lightweight trailer, which can be moved manually if necessary. There are options for tricky spaces and indoor areas. Most sites are accessible for people with disabilities, and we ask all hosts to provide contact information so people can ask inquire about accessibility and other needs.

SUPPORT MATERIALS
Marketing support consists of digital properties including photos, copy for social and other media, and graphics. The Curbside Theater Night Sky Series bundles numerous shows to invite audiences to visit new places and programs throughout the Wasatch Front. SB Dance publicizes the Night Sky Series through multiple outlets including tv and print media.

CONTENT
In 2024, we expand a show called Tarotville. Constructed as a Tarot reading with the audience choosing each “card”, every show is a little different. For the upcoming season, we’re adding more “cards”, more technical features, and more pre-show options. Humorous and bold, Tarotville’s artistic language combines athletic physicality, devised theater, song, and storytelling. An international songbook sung in French, Spanish, German, and English appeals to a multi-generational, multi-cultural audience. Tarotville is crafted for adults but is kid-friendly and delights most youngsters.

ADVERSE WEATHER
When no indoor contigencies are available, we suggest choosing a “rain date” and including it in promotional materials. There is no obligation to use the rain date. If adverse conditions do arise, our contract describes a procedure to decide about whether and when to cancel, and how that affects financial obligations.

THANK YOU
That’s a lot to digest so let’s talk about it. We appreciate your interest.