Bozeman Magazine

Polaroid Stories is a play based on the famous classical Roman historian Ovid’s poem Metamorphosis, a story about change. Playwright Iizuka used Ovid’s story as a foundation in which she could talk about change and transformation. Kuntz chose to set this production in a modern inner-city environment, where a community of homeless young people search for their own identities, trying to find their place and purpose in this world. This theme turns out to be especially powerful in a post-pandemic world--a world in which a new administration attempts to find a way forward in the midst of economic and political chaos, a world in which human detritus litters the terrain with human casualties of families and individuals that have been polarized and separated from the society which existed pre-Covid19.

Kuntz says “A dazzling and diverse cast of Bozeman, Atlanta, and Chicago-based artists bring these stories to life in the Eagles Ballroom for nine performances in March, as Bozeman Actors Theatre rigorously follows safety protocols and health guidelines to present Bozeman’s first fully-produced piece of live indoor theater since the pandemic began, inviting intrepid yet limited audiences to witness the naked power of live storytelling, so notably absent from our lives of late.”

Kuntz is quick to point out that his version of Polaroid Stories uses dance and movement in a significant way to help tell the story. BAT hired a choreographer from Atlanta to teach hip-hop dance moves to the actors, using the liquid movements of hip-hop artists to accentuate the text. This works well, breathing new life into Ovid’s Metamorphosis, through the lens of playwright Iizuka’s script and Kuntz’s directorial choices.

Polaroid Stories is scheduled to run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings from March 4 through March 20 at the Eagles upstairs ballroom. All performances begin at 7 pm. Tickets will be available as advance sales only, no ticket sales at the door, in an effort to provide more safety in the face of the coronavirus. Ensuring everyone's safety is BAT’s first priority; audiences and cast alike will be required to take precautions laid out by the CDC and local health officials. Mask wearing, social-distancing and contactless check-in are just some of the ways BAT will ensure this performance will be a fun and safe event for everyone.

Tickets can be purchased at www.bozemanactorstheatre.org/tickets.