Catch some theatre under the stars at the Guy Lombardo Pavilion

The stars will be out when a new theatre production premieres in London this week — literally.

Starting Wednesday, a local theatre company will be taking over the Guy Lombardo Pavilion in Springbank Park for a free outdoor theatre experience, where the surrounding trees, pathways and night sky will all be part of the set.

"No one's really done outdoor theatre in London in the last few decades, so it's kind of starting from scratch and learning how everything has to be set up technically," said production manager Alexandrea Marsh.

"Every time that I see a show that's put on outside, it always just elevates the story so much," she said. "You don't just put on any show outside. It has to benefit the narrative."

Marsh is one of the 25 cast and crew members putting on Theatre Aezir's production of That Summer, a coming-of-age story about young love at an Ontario lakeside resort by Canadian playwright David French.

When artistic director Elizabeth Durand first read the play back in 2018, she knew she couldn't produce it at just any theatre at any time of year.

"I fell in love with it, but it is a summer play [and] Theatre Aezir never did shows in the summer," she said. "I put it aside and said, 'If I ever do a show in the summer, it'll be That Summer.'"

It made sense to do the production outdoors, Durand said, adding that most of the story takes place on a cottage porch and some of the pavilion's natural surroundings parallel those in the play.

"They talk a lot about the red pavilion that they go dancing at, and that's another reason why I felt this play was really appropriate for the Guy Lombardo Pavilion," Durand said, pointing to the red accents around the pavilion stage.

The natural sights and sounds of the encompassing Springbank Park will also add to the ambiance, Marsh said, in ways that a typical indoor theatre cannot.

"I think bringing the story here will fully immerse the audience [by] just providing the atmospheric noise like the birds and the cicadas. We've also timed the show to start at 8 p.m. so that at a pivotal moment in the show, the sun sets and the tone changes," she explained.

However, for every positive that comes with producing a play outdoors, there are also challenges.

The cast and crew have been rehearsing the play using two different set ups, Marsh said: one that makes use of the entire pavilion space including its uncovered stage and pathways, and another that will force the performers to share the same covered bandshell as the audience.

"We basically have two entirely different versions of the show that we are ready to switch on a dime, in the case of rain before or during the show," Marsh said.

There are also some procedural considerations that come with putting on an outdoor production, Durand said, including safety risks, city rules and the cost of renting a location. Still, she said she hopes all of the work will be worth it.

"It was such a good idea to do it outside and I'm just really excited about it," she said. "We have some really wonderful people in this cast. It's outdoors, it's beautiful and it's free."

Theatre Aezir's production of That Summer will be at the Guy Lombardo Pavilion from July 16 to 19 and July 23 to 26 at 8 p.m. nightly. Tickets are free, and donations are welcome.