The Importance of Being Broadcast
WNIT captures Civic Theatre’s outdoor production thanks to new equipment
Aaron Nichols and the staff of the South Bend Civic Theatre are no strangers to the Indiana summer. It gets hot up here.
But when temperatures soared into the 90s and stayed there into dusk, that was too much for the cast of The Importance of Being Earnest and for the audiences who’d book tickets to see the show. Given the heavy, layered Victorian costumes and the safety of everyone involved, there was never really a choice.
For a few nights at least, the show would not go on.
But this time, it was different.
Since Earnest exists in public domain, that meant WNIT was there on opening night with a full crew, outfitted with a cache of modern, upgraded equipment, thanks in part to a $150,000 grant from the Community Foundation. A few weeks after the show closed, it was available to the public for free, broadcast to anyone with a television.
It sounds simple, but that doesn’t mean it was easy.
Filming a large outdoor performance in varying light and with ambient noise is a tough enough proposition with modern gear. With antiquated equipment, it’s impossible.
“Without the upgraded equipment, none of this would have been possible,” said Amanda Miller Kelley, Executive Director at WNIT. “WNIT is a local memory keeper,” said Miller. “Now moments that might have existed like a flash in the pan can be kept in perpetuity forever. Moments like Earnest.”