Brian Clowdus never set out to create an outdoor theater company. “We did it Season 1 out of necessity because there wasn’t a physical structure here,” the founder and executive director of Serenbe Playhouse explains. But people started talking about a new company in metro Atlanta doing site-specific shows, and by their third season, “it was very clear that that was our thing. So we changed our mission statement.”
Now seven seasons in, the biggest theater in Serenbe, Georgia has already grown from a three-show summer season to a six-show year-round season. The company has also established itself as a pioneer in green theater practices—a vision which mimics those of the urban village where it resides. “Serenbe is built on sustainability and environmental stewardship, and so we wanted our mission to really blend in with the community,” Clowdus says. “So we choose locations that lend themselves to the material, and also we try to construct as little as possible.”
A good example is the set for their upcoming production of “Miss Saigon,” which will be repurposed from the season’s opening show, “Carousel.” “A lot of theaters build these huge sets and just tear them down quickly and throw them away, but we meticulously took the set apart so we could reuse this wood,” says Clowdus. “Theater is a really wasteful industry, so we’re trying to do that in a not so wasteful way. And I would say about 80 percent of our lighting rig is LED, and that takes a fraction of the amount of power that typical theatrical instruments do.
“You know, it’s not hard to be a green theater,” he adds. “It just takes a little bit more time and planning, and that’s something that’s really important to us and something that we think about in every step that we take.”
What has become Serenbe Playhouse’s biggest selling point—productions that immerse theatergoers in the environment, connecting art and landscape—is also their biggest challenge. “I’m a big control freak, anybody that knows me will tell you that. But the one thing I can’t control is Mother Nature,” Clowdus says, bluntly. “We’ve gotten smart about it. Now we always have a backup plan; when we set up, we basically set up our venues as if we know it’s gonna get rained on, which it will.”
It’s not just rain; the temperature outside also plays a part. But the company allows the elements to enhance the theatergoing experience. For the last two seasons, for example, they have scheduled “The Snow Queen” as their winter production. “We try to choose material that works in the climate. That just adds to all the senses,” Clowdus says.
Serenbe Playhouse’s production of “Carousel.” Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus.
That idea is reflected in his advice for actors auditioning for his company. “Choose material that best reflects you, and then in the callback, that’s when you can become a character,” Clowdus says. “I will tell you the most attractive quality in people who are auditioning is self-awareness. I cannot preach that enough. It is knowing exactly who you are, what type you are, and just going in and owning your material.... Go in knowing exactly who you are, make bold choices, and just knock it out of the park.”
But there’s a fine line between a bold choice and a crazy choice. “I don’t want to see a monologue where you’re flailing around on the floor,” says Clowdus. “For some reason, people when they audition want to go a little bit overboard.” It’s a sense of confidence, rather, that Clowdus wants to see coincide with the conscious knowledge of self. “You can’t change who you are, and once you really sort of settle on that and accept who you are as fabulous and perfect and live in your own skin, that’s when people are going to start noticing you.”
Serenbe Playhouse will be announcing their new season at the end of August; open auditions will be slated for December or January. For those planning to attend, heed this piece of advice from Clowdus: “I always say dress for an audition as if you’re going on a first date. You don’t want to act like you’re trying too hard, but you don’t want to look like you just rolled out of Home Depot.”
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