Hamilton organizations partner for outdoor walking production of play ‘Godspell’

The Carnegie and Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum have partnered to present an outdoor production of “Godspell” on Saturday and Sunday at Pyramid Hill. There will be four start times, at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. each day.

“We have a limited capacity, and as people come in, they will be assigned to small groups. In these small groups, they will be walking throughout the park to experience these different scenes of ‘Godspell,’” said Sean FitzGibbons, executive director of Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum.

He said it’s a new way to experience a play in light of the current regulations and safety protocols that are in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. The length of the production is about an hour and a half. This is Pyramid Hill’s first collaboration with The Carnegie.

The musical, featuring songs from Stephen Schwartz, will be presented in an inventive format across Pyramid Hill grounds. The show will be created with physically distanced staging and in a walk-through format, which does require continual walking and standing throughout the show.

“It’s going to be a very intimate and innovative way to see live performances,” FitzGibbons said.

Guests who require a more accessible way to view the show can call the box office at (859) 957-1940 to set up an art cart ticket.

“This is a creative way to see a play like this. In working with The Carnegie, I’m blown away by the creativity they have put forward to be able to put the logistics together for this play. It’s exciting to shake things up a little bit, and have everybody experience the same play, but in a different way. If you’re a fan of live theater, this is your chance to see a play. It’s getting outside, into the open air,” FitzGibbons said.

Tickets are $15 for children ages 10 and under; $25 for students, $32 for each adult member and $35 for each adult non-member (plus applicable online ticketing fees). For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.pyramidhill.org, or visit www.thecarnegie.com.

FitzGibbons said he hopes partnerships between Pyramid Hill, The Carnegie, and other community arts organizations will continue to thrive.

“A lot of performing arts-based arts organizations are really struggling right now with the limitations that have been in place since March due to COVID-19. Since we are an outdoor park, we’ve been reaching out to a lot of other arts organizations on collaborations and ways we can work together,” FitzGibbons said.

Situated on over 300 acres, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum brings people to art in nature. The park features about 75 permanent, monumental outdoor sculpture in a natural setting of hills, meadows, and forests.

The Ancient Sculpture Museum features Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Syrian, and Egyptian sculpture dating to 1550 B.C. Pyramid Hill is located at 1763 Hamilton Cleves Road in Hamilton.

“My staff and I felt like it was important for us as an arts organization to reach out to other arts organizations that don’t have the outdoor space that we have. If there’s one thing we have, it’s outdoor space, and so for us to be able to have outdoor, socially-distant events, it just made sense for us to reach out to other arts organizations…It’s been really fantastic, working with all types of different arts organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area,” he said.

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