American Stage takes theater where the wild things are

American Stage’s pledge to make theater outside the four walls of an auditorium continues with this week’s Don’t Feed the Animals, on the hiking trails of Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, near Lake Maggiore in south St. Petersburg.

The company’s “Beyond the Stage” series debuted at the 245-acre preserve in 2024, with after-dark productions of Ten Ways to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse followed by The Diaries of Adam & Eve.

They call them Tales by Twilight.

These are outdoor examples of what’s known as “promenade theater,” in which the audience physically moves from scene to scene.

Don’t Feed the Animals is presented as a real-life walking tour of the trails, led by “tour guides.” Starting Thursday, there’ll be shows at 6 p.m. (as the sun is setting) and again at 8 (in full darkness).

It’s not a ghost show, and no zombies or other off-season Halloween refugees will show up for cheap jump scares.

Another rehearsal shot.

Written by Anthony Gervais, Don’t Feed the Animals is a comedy peopled by … well, talking animals (yes, it’s family-friendly).

Gervais directed Zombie Apocalypse, the first outdoor production. “All the challenges from last year we can now approach with fresh eyes, and try to make something special out of it,” he explains. “I wrote this show so we could craft it for the trail, and really have a whole lot of control over the whole audience experience.

“I thought ‘Let’s just make it be about Boyd Hill. We’re out here at Boyd Hill – let’s do something that kind of celebrates the preserve as well.’”

Early on the “tour,” visitors are joined by a talking raccoon named Larry, who enlists the guides in a woodland-wide search for a missing friend.

All the “animals” encountered on the trail are species that actually live at the preserve. “Having him write it specifically for Boyd Hill makes it more immersive, and engaging,” director Dylan Barlowe points out.

“And it solidifies ‘Please also enjoy the night hike.’ Because we discovered that it is beautiful to be out here at night. It’s not normally open at night. So it’s nature, and the stars, breathe the night air … this play allows you to lean into that as well.”

Director Dylan Barlowe (left) and playwright Anthony Gervais.

Barlowe, who directed Adam & Eve, credits American Stage and its support staff for making Tales by Twilight a success. “It was such a good turnout last year,” he says. “So the buzz to getting back to Tales was really exciting. American Stage is always coming up with fun new immersive ways to explore theater, and utilizing local artists.

“It also opens people up to ‘Hey, if you’re not familiar with Boyd Hill …’ If they didn’t grow up here, maybe they didn’t know we have this beautiful nature preserve.’”

The animal costumes have been designed with two variations – one for warm weather, the other for chilly nights. Audience members are advised to dress accordingly. The total distance to be walked is just under one mile (although the trail can be bumpy, Barlowe explains, it’s wheelchair accessible). Some of the “animals” tag along on the “hike,” chatting and pontificating as only animals can.

There are no stage lights at all, since there’s no stage. “Everyone has a flashlight, crew, cast and audience,” Gervais says. “When you arrive, you get one – it’s a red light, which is a nature-protective thing – and that helps make it fun. And we do have crew that help light what we want to light.

“You have to put the focus where you want it to be, because that’s where everyone’s going to look. Audience members want to see what’s going on, so they’re also putting their lights on the actors.”

The early show will benefit from partial sunlight. “Last year, it turned out that it got dark right at the end of the show,” Gervais says. “So it was a very magical experience.”

American Stage will have a special box office and entrance in the Boyd Hill parking lot, at 1101 Country Club Way S., St. Petersburg.

Showtimes and tickets can be found at this link.

Family portrait: Cast and crew.