On Saturday, June 23, the Ukiah Playhouse hosts the second
annual W,A,D, Fest! (W,A,D, stands for Writers, Actors, Directors) Six original
short plays, all based on the same theme, will be performed beginning at 8:00
PM. All six will have been conceived, written and rehearsed in the preceding 24
hours.
Small teams from several area theater groups have taken up
the challenge. Each team is sending a writer, a director, and a handful of actors
for this marathon event. The theme of the plays is announced on Friday at 7:30
PM, the plays are written overnight and rehearsed on Saturday, readied for an
8:00 PM curtain that evening.
Similar playmaking festivals are held in cities across the
London's
Old Vic company has a 24-hour play festival every year. Here's what hey say: A
whirlwind of activity is about to engulf the Old Vic, as the latest round of
24-hour plays returns to the theatre. For this event, well-known writers, directors
and actors have just 24 hours to write, direct and perform six short plays on
the main stage. It's the ultimate theatrical challenge. What is it like to have
such a creative group coming together under the pressures of a time-limited
project? "It's an amazing mixture of nerves, of calls to agents trying to
find a way out, excitement, and anticipation for what the writers are going to
come up with," says the Old Vic's artistic director, Kevin Spacey. The
actor says the fact that everyone is working towards one goal is what makes the
process special. "There's no time for ego, no time for anyone to worry
about anything other than putting the show together.
Along with the Festival of New Plays at
Tickets for W,A,D, Fest! Are available at Mendocino Book Company in downtown Ukiah, and through the Ukiah Players Theatre box office at 707-462-9226.
