Ever heard of bicycle theatre? Olympia Arts Miami is putting on History On Wheels, a new spin on old ideas where the audience pedals from stage to stage – much better than sitting down for two hours.
The theatre experiences kick off 5pm Friday September 30th, and continue through 5pm Saturday, October 1st and 2pm Sunday, October 2nd. Admission is free with RSVP. Each guest should bring a bicycle, rollerblades, skateboard, or other means of manual transportation.
We caught up with History on Wheels director Gaby Fernandez to learn more.
You studied in one of the most prestigious theatre schools in Madrid. How did you get involved with theatre here in Miami?
I did! I studied at the Laboratorio de Teatro William Layton, and it was some of the best years of my life. I fell in love with theater, and I was so fortunate to go to school in the land of Cervantes. But Miami has always had a special place in my heart, my mother’s side of the family lives here and this is the city where I fell in love with my husband. Miami has given me all the best opportunities, personally and professionally, so I always like to give back. And the best way I know to give back is by producing free shows for my community.
What is History on Wheels?
History on Wheels is a theatrical bike ride adventure, where the audience is riding from scene to scene in Downtown Miami. Basically, a play on wheels! Participants will meet up at the first stop and we will guide them through downtown, and at every stop of the route, they will watch a different scene of the play. The play itself follows Julia Tuttle, mother of miami, as she time travels through different eras of our magic city.
How did you come up with the idea for a theatrical bike tour?
A few years ago, my husband (Daniel Sanchez) and I were spending an afternoon with our theater friends at Wood, when our bike friends arrived. As we introduced everybody and started talking about how much we love both producing shows and riding bikes in our city- the lightbulb moment hit, and we came up with “bicycle theater”. It was so exciting! We started to talk about the logistics, and possible collaborations and then the most important part: we googled it. No results found. We had invented a concept and put nose to the grind and produced the first ever bicycle theatre in 2013: Alice in Wynwoodland. Then we reprised in 2014 with the first time we did History on Wheels. Now, we are going bigger, better and safer, taking everything we’ve learned from our past rides and applying it now to create a wonderful, free, outdoor theatrical experience.
Tell us about the script. What was your writing process?
Our writing process at Front Yard Theatre Collective has always been a true collaboration. We usually start with a brainstorming meeting, where we throw ideas to see what “sticks”. For this show, we wanted to tap into our local history in a way that was fun and educational, and with our signature comedic twist. Through improv and research, we came up with the story of following Julia Tuttle, because we learned that Miami is one of the few cities founded by a woman. That fact inspired us, and we decided to write what would happen if Julia Tuttle traveled to the future and saw what her city has become. Then, I sat down at my computer and developed the dialogue, again based on the skeleton outlines we came up with during rehearsals. For this second round of H.O.W. I took some time to revisit the original scripts, bring it up to date and add some new jokes. Although we typically are very free form with our script writing, I really enjoy actors being involved in the creation of the dialogue through improv as well.
Who are the characters in the play? What’s their connection with Miami?
This play has a cast of 29 actors, playing a variety of characters, from the past, present and future of Miami. We have Julia Tuttle and Henry Flagler, the mother and father of Miami- but we also have characters like Scarface, Pitbull, The Peña Family from Que Pasa USA, Ponce De Leon, Tequesta Warrior Princesses and our imagined future leaders, King Dan Marino the XII and Queen Palmetto Expressway. All the characters are connected to Miami because directly or indirectly, they participate in important moments that changed and defined our Magic City. And Julia Tuttle will travel through time and learn with these characters, the real reason we call this the Magic City.
