You love the theater. Maybe you’ve dabbled. Maybe you’re new to the scene. Maybe you’re very proud of your summer stock experience. But the trouble with the theater is that it becomes a lifestyle. And you have a life. So, if you want to get a little bit of the break-a-leg thrill back in your life, gather a few friends, get a cheap space, and try this instant theater experience one weekend a month.

Calling all Writers, Directors, and Actors

Someone has to organize this event, so it might as well be you. What you have to do first is find a place to have the event. You’ll need the space for two days. For the best audience turn-out, try for Friday night and Saturday. Possibilities include dark theaters, art galleries, coffee shops, or even church basements.

What you then want to do is put a call out to all writers, directors, and actors interested in putting on 10-minute plays. The instant theater experience is an excellent learning tool for all aspect of theater production, so beginners and amateurs will do well with this format. Possible ways to put the call out is to contact local theater companies and get their email lists. Another possibility is to use an online connection forum to contact people in your area with similar interests. Another way is to call a few theater friends and get the word-of-mouth out.

Friday Night: Meet, Cast, and Write

Tell everyone to meet at 8pm or so on Friday night in the space you have procured. As the organizer, decide how many plays you want to put on in total. This will be how many writers and directors you will need. Estimate each play at ten minutes with a two to five minute lag time between sets and a fifteen minute intermission. Hence, six 10-minute plays would equal about an hour and forty-five minutes total. If your time management skills are precise, you could probably put on as many as eight plays and not lose your audience. This is a personal choice that usually comes down to how many people you have participating.

Divide the group into writers, directors, and actors. The more actors the better. The number of writers and directors needs to match (unless two writers or two directors want to work together.) Often there are more writers than directors, so as the organizer, you will have to persuade someone to take another role or have friends double up. Wait it out and if no one volunteers to take on another role then draw straws.