Shadowbox Live to fire off 37th season by showcasing best of 2024 in 'Hot Stuff'
Shadowbox Live (SBX) bills itself as the nation's largest resident theater ensemble, a claim that's not unbelievable when you look at the size of the "cast" that makes the company's prolific year-round output possible.
SBX is made up of approximately 50 metaperformers — about 40 full-timers and 10 part-time staffers, most of whom have more than one responsibility within the company. Only six serve solely in administrative positions, according to CEO Stacie Boord .
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Boord described metaperformers as jacks-of-all-trades who juggle multiple roles, as she does, being not only the CEO but also the director of education and a performer herself.
Founded in 1988, SBX typically produces at least eight shows each year, with performances in its Brewery District space at 503 S. Front St. Productions often run back-to-back and sometimes even simultaneously.
The company distinguishes itself from other local arts groups with an all-original repertoire that melds multiple entertainment forms into its own unique medium. Terms such as "genre-shifting" and "mixed arts" have been used to describe SBX.
"We definitely have our own brand of entertainment, and we create our own works," Boord said.
"Because SBX is a collective of artists, there's a sense of collaboration. Whether it's a sketch comedy or a musical, there is a rock aesthetic and a sensibility that crosses over into all genres."
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The result is a category-defying oeuvre that combines comedy, dance, theatrical performances and live music by an in-house band.
Audiences will experience this amalgamation of styles at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, opening night of "Hot Stuff," the first offering in SBX's 37th season. The production continues SBX's annual tradition of spotlighting the best of the previous year's shows.
"It's a very high-energy evening of our most-loved sketches of the past year and a few from even a little further back. It gives a nice variety of topics that we hit with the styles of music, both new and old," Boord said.
"There are anywhere from eight to 10 sketches, typically, then video bits in between that are super short and funny. It goes back and forth between the comedy and the music."
SBX musicians are known for the versatility they'll demonstrate in "Hot Stuff," which includes songs by artists from Ozzy Osbourne to Ariana Grande, reflecting the ensemble's broad fan base.
Comedy also plays an essential role in making a production a fan favorite, Boord said.
"I think comedy, when done correctly, tells universal truths. I think people will really be able to relate to some of the content. Even if you never necessarily experienced something, you know someone who has experienced it," she said.
"We all can find the humor in the uncomfortableness of being human. We're able to be empathetic and live vicariously, all through laughter."
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"Hot Stuff" will run through March 29, with 7:30 p.m. performances on most Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. After March 1, Saturday-only performances will be at 7:30 p.m. March 8, 15, 22 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday shows will be at 2 p.m. Feb. 2, Feb. 9 and March 2.
Tickets to all SBX performances are sold by the table. Prices range from $106-$314.75 for Section A, main floor; and from $53.50-$210.75 for Section B, first tier; Section C, second tier; and Section D, third tier. To purchase tickets, go to shadowboxlive.org .
Everyone pitches in at SBX
Another thing that sets SBX apart from other organizations is the fact that it's artist-run, Boord said.
"The metaperformers are basically curating the experience for the audience from the moment they purchase their tickets to the moment they leave," she said.
Because they wear many hats, metaperformers often discover talents they didn't know they had until they were given the opportunity to explore and test them, Boord said.
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"We do a lot of different things. From the box office to the bar, everyone's rolling up their sleeves to make it the best experience possible. We can't do what we do without our audience," she said.
"For the audience to come and see untested work is a testament to their trust in us. We have tremendous gratitude to this community."
More to come from SBX in 2025
Following "Hot Stuff," seven more shows are lined up, beginning March 6 with "Rock This Way: A Music Tribute to Aerosmith and Van Halen," which will run through June 1.
"We're very excited about that. We oftentimes will pay tribute to artists who inspired us and who are iconic," Boord said.
Boord said the production choice is made especially poignant by last August's news that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler could no longer perform due to permanent vocal damage.
"It's heartbreaking to those of us who really looked up to him as a rock vocalist," she said. "To be able to pay tribute to him is just a real honor. It's going to be a very moving experience for us and the audience."
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"Rock This Way" is part of SBX's multigenerational programming. Not to be confused with "family-friendly," these shows are aimed at adults along all points on the age spectrum.
"Our shows definitely have an adult aesthetic, but our multigenerational programming has proven to be content that many adults love sharing with their younger and older family and friends," Boord said.
Three other shows, denoted below by asterisks, are designated as multigenerational. The remainder of the season will offer:
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April 3-Aug. 30: "Kiss and Tell: A Sketch Comedy" takes a peek into the hilarious, awkward and steamy side of relationships.
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June 5-Aug. 31: "Millennium: A 2000s Musical" captures the courage, resilience and spirit of a generation through laughter, drama and the top songs of the 2000s. *
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Sept. 4-Nov. 15: "Freak Show: A Sketch Comedy and Music Experience" is a Halloween-themed carnival of sketches and music that promises to be both side-splitting and spine-tingling.
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Sept. 14-Nov. 16: "Sleepy Hollow: An American Ghost Story," an adaptation of the Washington Irving classic, returns after its smash 2024 premiere . *
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Nov. 20-Dec. 27: "Holiday Hoopla 2025: A Sketch Comedy and Music Experience," puts the "fun" in the dysfunction of the season in what has been an SBX holiday tradition for more than 30 years.
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Nov. 30-Dec. 28: "Not So Silent Night: A Rockin' Holiday Musical for Everyone," follows a small-town DJ on Christmas Eve as he takes calls from locals and spins tunes from classic carols to contemporary hits. *
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Shadowbox Live to open 37th season with 'Hot Stuff' best of 2024 show
