July 1, 2020

For about 20 minutes after dark at locations known only to a few, parking lots will turn into performance spaces this summer across Sioux Falls.

It’s an effort by artists deprived of theaters and galleries during COVID-19 to find new ways to express themselves and showcase their work.

Madeleine Scott and Madison Elliott are two of these innovative artists, debuting a drive-in performing arts experience today called Park & Art with the Headlights Theater. 

Elliott, a recent graduate from SUNY Purchase College in the Conservatory of Dance, and Scott, the executive director and artistic director of the South Dakota Ballet, are the co-founders and directors of Headlights Theater. As performing artists, both of the dancers were deeply impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The childhood friends started the project as a way to continue their life’s work. 

“It kind of broke our hearts that it felt like arts were being sacrificed during this time in order to keep everyone safe,” Elliott said. “So that’s when we were like, what if instead of life performances stopping, we just change the venue that it is traditionally viewed in.”

Throughout the summer, those venues will be parking lots across Sioux Falls. Elliott and Scott plan on collaborating with different local musicians, bands and dancers for each performance.

The first two performances are at 8:45 tonight and 9 p.m. July 17. Attendees can RSVP on Headlights Theater’s website. The locations of each performance are kept secret until an hour before, when registered patrons will receive a text revealing the location. Each performance is free, but Elliott said donations to the performers are encouraged and appreciated. 

Once they’re parked in the lot, attendees can enjoy the roughly 20-minute performance. Scott said the shows will be on the shorter side to make sure guests have a comfortable but still rewarding experience.

For the first performance, Scott and Elliott will be joined by Rebecca Ford from South Dakota Ballet and Mary Rogers, who is going into her senior year at SUNY Purchase College, as well as a few younger community dancers. Local band Pale Norse & the Local Support also will be premiering new songs during the evening.

The dancers will wear masks during the performance, be spaced 6 feet apart and forego traditional dancing shoes for sneakers on the pavement. While performing in these unusual conditions will be an adjustment, Elliott said she’s excited to perform again for a live audience.

“We’re trying to turn bleak parking lots into these magical landscapes for our local artists,” she said. 

With live performing arts on hold for the past few months, Elliott said she hopes the Park & Art series will help bring a sense of normalcy to both audience members and performers who have been longing for the joy that the arts can bring. 

“We really hope that it brings people together in a safe manner and allows everyone to really notice how beautiful the arts community is in Sioux Falls,” she said.

“We also hope that it expands people’s perceptions of what art is. This idea started out very experimental, not exactly knowing what (we) could do. But as we work on it, we’re realizing that the more we’re able to collaborate with people in our community, it’s very fulfilling, and we just hope that it can do the same for the audience and for our community.”