For a regional theater, performing during a pandemic brings plenty of challenges: Actors in face masks. Smaller casts due to social distancing. Moving performances outdoors.
But this summer there’s something else the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey expects to face as well: cicadas.
In a few weeks, billions of cicadas from Brood X are expected to go from quietly feeding on roots underground to emerging on the surface throughout the country, including in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Residents will notice their presence — arriving for the first time in 17 years — by a distinctive shrill they emit to draw mates.
The Morris County theater’s outdoor stage, located in Florham Park, is surrounded by trees and other greenery — which artistic director Bonnie Monte expects will be fertile ground for the insects.
“We’re not going to be able to do much at our outdoor stage in May and June because the cicadas are too loud. They’re deafening — drowning out our actors — and they’re everywhere,” said Monte, who has been with the company for over 30 years. “I’ve seen them, they’re the size of shrimp. That’s not something that the actors would be able to deal with, nor the audience.”
The theater will open its Back Yard Stage with a series of weekend matinees (Saturday to May 2) — featuring “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Julius Caesar.”
“After those (shows), we probably won’t do any more outdoor performances until July,” she said.
It is unclear if other local events may be delayed or altered once the noisy cicadas emerge in New Jersey.
“They have been present at major golf tournaments, weddings and graduation ceremonies — like when Bob Dylan got an honorary degree at Princeton in 1970 and then wrote a song about it called ‘Day of the Locust’— on his New Morning album,” said Chris Simon, a professor in the University of Connecticut’s ecology and evolutionary biology department.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey holds a rehearsal of "Julius Caesar" at the Thomas H. Kean Theatre Factory in Florham Park. Monday, April 19, 2021Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media
In his lyrics, Dylan noted how the “locusts” — really cicadas — sang a “sweet melody” that gave him “a chill.” While making sure to delineate the red-eyed cicadas from locusts, Simon falls in a similar place. Cicadas are not a disturbance but, rather, just another facet of nature, she said.
“We recommend cicada outdoor weddings to increase the memorableness factor,” she continued.
But Monte doesn’t quite see it the same way, as she’s expressed on the theater’s blog page.
“We’re getting a double whammy this year,” she summed up. “We’re getting COVID and cicadas.”
Simon explained that based on her lab’s research, Brood X should not present a large issue in Florham Park where the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey hosts its outdoor performances. Her records show the company’s stage is closer to grounds normally inhabited by Brood II, which came out last in 2013. If the stage was located in High Bridge or Edison, it would be a different story, she said.
Some recent reports have also indicated that copperhead populations are expected to jump in 2021 since the snakes enjoy feasting on cicadas. But Simon disagrees.
“Copperheads will not increase in the area this year. Everything will be out eating cicadas,” she said, pointing to birds, turtles and other snakes species as a few examples. “Any population increase (of copperheads) will be in later years.”
If cicadas were to show up at the theater in the summer months it could present an issue, said George Hamilton, an entomologist for Rutgers University.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey holds a rehearsal of "Julius Caesar" at the Thomas H. Kean Theatre Factory in Florham Park. Monday, April 19, 2021Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media
“They like to go up on vertical structures so they would climb up on seats or lawn chairs depending on how they’re set up,” said Hamilton. “If they’d consider performances at night, there may be less of a problem since they don’t make their calls then.”
But the theater is not taking any chances. Instead, it will hold virtual performances between June and July under its recently launched “Pandemic Playhouse Entertainment” series. The live shows are shot from various angles inside the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, Monte said.
While state coronavirus relief funding and donor support have helped the theater stay afloat so far, Monte said the company is eager to get back to producing shows indoors. The theater typically seats about 300 people. Monte said capacity limits would have to reach at least 50% for the theater to resume in-person this fall.
“We would have to look at smaller shows from the past and that’s tough for a theater that specializes in classics, which have a big cast. So, for us it’s going to mean that we may depart from our mission somewhat and look at plays that are a little bit more contemporary, which tend to be smaller,” Monte said.
Monte said a return to indoor shows by the end of the year would be ideal.
“Emotionally, that would be quite fabulous,” Monte said. “It would also relieve the tremendous stress of worrying about whether we can survive this or not.”
AC Horton, director, second from right, works with the actors during a rehearsal of "Julius Caesar" at the Thomas H. Kean Theatre Factory in Florham Park. Monday, April 19, 2021Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media
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Steven Rodas may be reached at srodas@njadvancemedia.com.
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