Communal Experience
After rehearsing as much of the blocking as possible off-site, the entire cast and crew relocated to Point Montara on 19 October 2025 for a week of rehearsal followed by a communal sleepover experience through 2 November, taking over a part of the hostel that includes its own kitchen, common room, and eighteen beds.
While acknowledging that not every person was actually able to stay “on the island,” for two full weeks, Bousel shared that one impetus for the plan was wanting to prevent folks from having to commute daily from San Francisco and the East Bay along the twisty coastal highway. The other was to create a communal experience that would reverberate well beyond closing night. Call it a theatre camp for adults, with the best trappings of a sleepaway experience—shared food, shared activities, and a shared objective to bond over.
Youth hostels, also, as their primary objective, really want to break down boundaries between people.
Perhaps the most innovative part of this experiment was extending the sleepover invitation to theatregoers. Ticketholders could avail themselves of the chance to stay at the hostel overnight, in community with cast and crew, rather than drive home alone in the dark. Accordingly, activities such as a 10:00 p.m. movie, guided group stretching, and nature hikes were planned to include the audience—giving them a taste of “theatre camp” as part of their overall experience.
“We really tried to think of…opportunities for connection,” Bousel explained. “Youth hostels, also, as their primary objective, really want to break down boundaries between people…and so, we just wanted to really lean in to that, and provide people the option.”
For Elana Swartz (Ariel Two/Ceres/Boatswain) this aspect of the production was a major part of the appeal. “Being able to have those unscripted moments with my castmates [and] with the audience during and after the shows, those really bring the community element to the forefront.”
For Wahl, taking on an acting role while also producing has been a heavy but rewarding, lift, which requires, she noted, “a lot of compartmentalizing.”
“Because this is such an unusual situation, and I am also part of the cast, I’ve found that this managerial aspect has become much more lateral, where everyone is engaging, sharing, and asking questions/convening meetings on their own authority,” she reflected. “I don’t have to steer the ship as much, and I see our creatives and actors really engaging with this show in a much more empowered manner.”
“Even just one night of community building…can have ripple effects for a very long time to come,” Bousel emphasized. “And that’s a major objective behind what we’re doing here, and always has been.”
