{"id":211,"date":"2021-05-05T17:30:39","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T17:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/?p=211"},"modified":"2021-11-21T20:56:00","modified_gmt":"2021-11-21T20:56:00","slug":"drive-in-theatre-the-world-at-oaklands-beaux-arts-train-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/23\/drive-in-theatre-the-world-at-oaklands-beaux-arts-train-station\/","title":{"rendered":"Drive-In Theatre: The World at Oakland\u2019s Beaux-Arts Train Station"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lissa Tyler Renaud<\/strong>*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Binding Ties<\/em>: The 16th Street Station<\/em>. Created by Stephanie Anne Johnson with Michael Copeland Sydnor. Premiere: 1991; remount: 12 February 2021, Oakland Theatre Project. Lighting and projections design: Stephanie Anne Johnson. Sound score: Kevin Myric. Site-specific: 16th Street Railway Station, Oakland, California.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There it was!\u2014the legendary South Pacific train, pulled into the stunning Beaux-Arts railway station in thriving West Oakland. It stood ready with its expert crew, spiffy porters and graceful maids to take passengers in style and comfort to destinations across the young nation! And here is its cheerful conductor now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The event site and adjacent neighborhood. Photo: L.T. Renaud<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It is a testament to the illusion of this clever and moving installation-event that we were actually sitting in our cars in the disused parking lot of the abandoned train station in an especially sorry part of town. The images of the train were projected onto the front of the building, along with slides of the historic station, gleaming tracks, maps of the routes, newspaper headlines.

Late in 2020, our county expanded its COVID health orders to allow heavily regulated \u201cvehicle-based gatherings.\u201d Drive-in theatre was a natural outgrowth, reminiscent of the beloved drive-in movies (and restaurants) of the 1950s and 1960s. But now, we had to stay in our cars, windows up, with the show\u2019s soundscape transmitted through our car radios. In the world of drive-in theatre, instead of clapping, we honk our horns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Poster for the production, Oakland Theatre Project<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Binding Ties <\/em>was the perfect, outdoor show for this expanded health order. Brainchild of the impressive Stephanie Anne Johnson in 1991, it was ready for a drive-in, 30th anniversary production by the Oakland Theatre Project. Dr. Johnson has used her 40 years of experience as a lighting designer\u2014local, national, international\u2014to bring into view people who have been \u201cforgotten\u201d by our culture, with particular focus on, and tireless contributions to, recognition of African Americans. She is well-known for her slide projection pieces which, she says, \u201ccombine the ethereal nature of light and the solidity of architecture to symbolize a balance between the spiritual and material worlds.\u201d In this case, Johnson employed her signature tools\u2014light, historical artifacts, archival photographs and live narration\u2014to evoke the early- to mid-twentieth century ghosts of the Southern Pacific Railway and its people, as seen through the lens of the 16th Street Station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Interior of the station, prized for its arched windows<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Inside and out, the decaying landmark begs for a theatrical event. Built in 1912 as the West Coast terminus of the network of railroads that first started expanding across the U.S. from the 1860s to the 1880s, in its heyday the station saw around 400 trains per day. The area around the station featured lovely Victorian houses\u2014many still standing\u2014and from the 1940s to 1960s, had a hopping, nationally recognized jazz and blues scene. This area was tragically divided by a freeway (1955) and tracks for a new subway (1974); the 16th St. station itself was badly damaged in the 1989 earthquake; newer train stations grew up nearby (1994): 16th St. saw its last train in 1994. Since then, it has been closed to the public, on the shortlist of Most Beautiful Abandoned Stations in the World, a site for squatters, a magnet for daredevil photographers, a film location and, since 2005, the object of architectural preservation efforts to restore it as a community center and performance venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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