“In one day, you go through all the stages of the production,” says Joe Baker of the Keegan Theater about Bethesda Urban Partnership’s Play in a Day. “The first few hours are table reads, blocking, figuring out what’s going on. Then it’s like going into rehearsal until we get closer to the show. And now we have to dive into the technology and the details of it. And the performance itself is both the opening night and the closing night, and the catharsis that follows. The motto of Play-in-a-Day is, ‘The clock is ticking.’
A full 24 hours to say the least. Now in its 19th year, “Play in a Day” challenges six theater companies to write and produce an original 10- to 15-minute play based on a prompt assigned at a kickoff meeting the night before. The results are funny, wild and quirky, and often not suitable for children.
“They come to our office the Friday before, and the playwrights and directors from each team meet to go over their assigned themes, props, and lines to use in the play,” says Jason Liu, marketing events manager for Bethesda Urban Partnership.
Past lines include famous quotes from Shakespeare, lines from Dr. Seuss, famous lines from movies, and more. mean girls. Props range from brooms to pickleball paddles, but the problem with theater is that they can’t be used as intended. Last year, for example, the Rorschach Theater changed its paddles to “frying pans.”
“We provide them with a table and some chairs and so on, but they can also bring in additional props and costumes. Past Flying Vs have come in different astronaut costumes,” Liu said.
Completed works will be presented in front of a live audience on the Imagination Stage, and businesses will compete for one of three $500 prizes. This year’s participants are Adventure Theater MTC, Flying V, Keegan Theatre, Olney Theater Center, Rorschach Theater and We Happy Few. Michael Bobbitt, former artistic director of Adventure Theater MTC, will oversee the event.
Baker, a resident member of Keegan’s theater company, serves as his theater’s team leader. This will be his 12th play of the day. He calls the event creatively refreshing and a rare opportunity to entertain the audience with something truly one-night-only.
“At the end of the day, theater is a collaborative effort,” Baker says. “And the audience is just as important to the show as the actors.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
