Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Presents 'Pipeline'

Updated: 11 p.m., Friday

SARASOTA, FL — For more than a decade, the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota has hosted its "April Fools Fête" as a fundraiser to support its educational programming. All funds raised benefit Stage of Discovery, the organization’s intensive summer youth camps; in-school performances and educational programs for high school and elementary students; and the Young Artist Program.

Last year, WBTT was forced to postpone its fundraiser, typically held in early April each year, because of the coronavirus pandemic. The troupe pushed the concert to the end of May, offering a pre-recorded program for streaming over a four-day period.

This year, as the coronavirus pandemic continues, WBTT’s spring tradition returned Monday as a sold-out hybrid event with limited in-person tickets available and an option to stream the show from home.

Up next, WBTT returns to the stage — albeit with a limited cast and for the purpose of filming rather than presenting live — for the pandemic-delayed production of Dominique Morisseau's noted work, "Pipeline," according to a news release. WBTT is currently rehearsing the show, which it will film, present during one week of outdoor screenings at its Theatre Arts Center in late April, and then make available via streaming video in May. Tickets and streaming videos can be purchased onlinehere.

Like many nonprofit arts organizations, 2020 was a difficult year for WBTT because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Julie Leach, executive director.

“It was a very tough year,” she said. “Last year, we had most of the seats sold at the start. We were lucky that 50 percent of ticketholders said we could keep the money. This season, we walked into it with no presales. We’re selling as we go and relying on grants and government help.”

Normally the troupe, which celebrates the African American community’s culture and theater, schedules an entire theater season from October to May, she said. When the regular season ends, it hosts numerous summer shows out in the community.

Much of this was put on hold or switched to virtual programming last year because of the potential spread of coronavirus, Leach said.

This was disappointing as the theater was coming off a strong year, which included the completion of a capital campaign and major theater renovations, at the start of the pandemic, she added. So, WBTT documented its successes and accomplishments in its first-ever impact report.

“We accomplished so much that year we didn’t want it to get lost,” she said.

During the pandemic itself, WBTT offered some streaming programming, but mostly focused on training aspiring artists, she added.

The troupe tried to bring back live performances in October with its “Light Up the Night!” open-air concert series, but “a backstage COVID outbreak” forced them to shut down the live shows in November.

After that, “COVID was so prevalent in the communities through the holidays it didn’t seem like the time to open a show. It didn’t feel safe,” Leach said.

Things feel better the troupe’s spring season underway, she added. “Things feel much better and we’re ready to go. We have lots of protocols in place and more safety measures. We should be good.”

Moving forward, all live performances will be hosted in outdoor theaters with an emphasis on social distancing and limited capacity. Leach is hopeful that once more residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine, things will normalize even further, and people will feel more comfortable attending live theater.

In the meantime, she, and WBTT’s staff, volunteers and performers are ready for anything.

“Things are feeling a lot better now, but I still get up every morning and look at the COVID statistics,” she said. “If they go in the wrong direction, then we have to make a change.”

Learn more about the West Coast Theatre Troupe online here.