The short play frenzy is happened for a FOURTH time!
We came back again for a fourth festival of original shorts plays. The Player's Project Theater Company is once again co-producing the show with the very cool Theatre Lab.We had such a great time the past three festivals and we knew this was going to be yet another thrilling night of new work.
Our poster from the last play festival
All proceeds from the festival are used to produce future published theatrical work in St. Louis and provide more performance and design opportunity to local talent.
This is how it all works!
We have seven writers who are given seven days to write. They are given the cast size and gender, the location of the play (even some specific set pieces they can use), a genre, a prop, and sometimes a line they have to use in the play.
We will then collect the scripts the Thursday night before the show, we will hand deliver them to the seven directors. They are given only one night to read, make all of their plans for staging, and figure out any tech requirements for the play.
On Friday night at 7:00pm the producers, directors, actors and sometimes writers arrive at the rehearsal space. In the order that the shows will present, the directors draw names out of a hat and the actors are chosen for the seven plays. We then spend the next 24 hours in production. Each play's director/cast makes their own schedule for the 24 hour production period.
It is a mad dash to the finish line!
Each cast member gets their copy of the script, they all do a quick meet and greet and each group goes to a rehearsal space to work. Sometimes the cast may know each other from around town and sometimes they are all meeting each other for the first time. They settle into their spaces and they usually spend Friday night doing a read-through, casting the show, blocking the movement and staging the piece. Then they all leave and the actors go memorize and sleep. In any downtime they may have, the director and producers work on collecting all props, getting the costume pieces needed, making sound cues, and gathering the stock set pieces being used (painted all black). Then the director and casts usually meet back in the space to begin working again around 11-1pm. They rehearse a bit more on their own and one by one they each receive a 1/2 hour tech rehearsal on stage with light/sound technicians running cues/taking lots of notes.
"It is exhilarating and exhausting!"
Several of the writers, directors and actors have performed in all three of the past festivals!
After a long night and extensive afternoon, we open!
There is a raffle, some food and beverage available and the house opens at 7:30 pm. We present all of the one acts starting promptly at 8:00 pm. We have an Mcee for each festival and we have an improv team play games at the end.
It's All Original Work Written In Exactly One Week!!!
We invite three fabulous judges from the industry to critique the work presented and we always have a quick "no muss- no fuss" awards ceremony at the end of the evening just for fun.
Tickets are always available for the festivals
on Brown Paper Tickets
or at the door for $15 (cash, check, debit, or charge)
There is limited seating available!!!
or you can always call Theater Lab's office number with questions or concerns at #314-599-3309
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Watch our short little
documentary
about our play festival
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This festival of plays is a
FUNDRAISER
and it is
produced in collaboration
with Ryan Foizey and Theater Lab
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