Source One Five theater company goes from stage to livestreaming for ‘The Fantasticks’

While the coronavirus outbreak brought a halt to live shows onstage, the staff at Source One Five had the idea to think outside the box.

Or to be precise, to produce outside the theater.

“We had to reinvent ourselves since we couldn’t get into a theater space and have a live audience,” said Rachel Meinhart, director for the Franklin-based theater production and education company. “We had to think of a new way to put on a production.”

Enter The Fantasticks, the 1960 musical that lent itself to be an ideal show to produce during a pandemic, according to Meinhart.

She and the other founders of Source One Five — her husband, Conner Meinhart, is managing director and Anna Bovi is director of development — were able to film and produce a full-length version of The Fantasticks and have it livestreamed for audience viewing. Shows are this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m. each day.

“In keeping with [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines, we started thinking of shows that have small casts and to keep our numbers under 10,” Meinhart explained. “The Fantasticks was one of those. We had wanted to put in on for a while, and now seemed like the perfect time to do it. 

“It was also one of those shows that didn’t need a huge set or a lot of costume changes. It really was a show that we could tailor to the times that we’re all living in right now, and make it a safe environment for our cast and our crew.”

Cast members in The Fantasticks are mostly local theater students, three of whom are enrolled in college and had a chance this summer to star in the show that was produced over the past couple of months. Katie Yeomans, a 2018 Franklin High School graduate who is now a junior at Belmont University, said that playing the character of Louisa was therapeutic. 

“During these stressful and uncertain times,” she said, “art is the beautiful force that brings us all together. By simply creating art with others again, I felt true stability rather than the chaos of our present reality. I hope our audience finds joy, healing and peace from The Fantasticks. I know I did.”

Meinhart, who directed the show, said that while she looks forward to the return of traditional live theater, she was pleased with the new dimension that filming and livestreaming bring.

“We’re kind of treating it like it’s its own little movie,” she said. “We were able to have some artistic freedom and take some fun chances, and do some things we’re not able to do on a stage. It was kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we could make the best of it.”

Source One Five was founded nearly two years ago with a plan to produce four live shows each year and to reach out to and advocate for the local arts community as well as to schools. The group conducts workshops, one-on-one lessons and master classes with local industry leaders in all areas of the arts.

For now, the staff is looking forward to similar productions as The Fantasticks.

“We hope this is the beginning of many more to come,” Meinhart said. “We’re always dreaming up something on the horizon, and we’re seeing how this goes. Our team is already giving me the next idea, so we’re all eager to keep going.”

Tickets are $10 for each show and good for a whole household.