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.

Spin the Bottle

Have all of the directors stand in a circle. One by one select a writer to enter the circle and spin a bottle to randomly pick a director. Of course you can do this a variety of way (picking from a hat is popular) but spinning the bottle is fun and gets everyone up and mingling. Next, have the actors stand in a circle so the directors can take turns spinning the bottle to select actors. The actors should be divided up as evenly as possible.

Meet and Greet

The casts should have a short meeting conducted by the writer who will interview the actors to get a feel for who they are. Writers should take advantage of type-casting possibilities. Also, they should find out: What each actor was hoping to get out of the experience What experience each actor brings to the table What special skills the actors have - like the ability to play an instrument, whistle Dixie, or do a back flip for example.

Then, all of the cast members should exchange contact information and decide on a time to meet the next morning.

Friday Night’s Alright for Writing

The writer needs to take the information gathered from the cast and create a 10-minute long script. It needs to be in the hands of the cast by the next morning. Some writers have admitted to laboring all night and some writers, blessed with inspiration, have accomplish the task in a few short hours.

You should tell the writers to leave room for improvisation. It will be virtually impossible for the cast to remember the script word for word in such a short time. So, writers shouldn’t hinge any pivotal moments on the perfect recitation of the lines. Additionally, writers should keep in mind the experience of each cast member and try to give the heavier parts to the more accomplished actors. Writers should keep in mind the time it takes not just to read the words, but to perform the script.

Copies of the script need to be in the hands of the cast members by the prescribed meeting time. It can be emailed to the director, who will make copies for the cast, it can be emailed to each cast member individually, or it can be presented to the cast by the writer in the morning.

Saturday Morning: Read, Block, and Rehearse

When the cast meets, the writer should read through the script once for the entire cast to clear up any questions there may be about meaning or interpretation. Then it’s time for the writer to do the most important part of a playwright’s job - let go and let it come to life as a collaboration. (Although some writers like to do double duty and act or direct as well. This is a fine idea, especially if turnout is low.)

The director should take the reigns and lead the cast through subsequent readings. This is the time to gather ideas from the cast and discuss possibilities for blocking, props, and costuming. Since time is of the essence, it is important to keep stay as minimalist as possible. Costume changes and elaborate sets are not generally feasible.

Actors then rehearse together, trying out different possibilities for the script and making a special note of cues. This process works best when interaction is welcomed. Everyone needs to stay loose and flexible during rehearsal. It’s fun, after all.

Saturday Afternoon: Eat Lunch, Call Friends, and Memorize

Be sure to take a break. Memorization requires brain food and motivation. So, have the actors eat some protein and call their friends to make sure they will be coming. In fact, each actor should call someone they respect to come to the show. This always raises the bar.

Saturday Night: Get Props, Set-up, and Break a Leg

When the blocking is set and the rehearsal have gotten tedious, it’s time to break until show time. Actors and directors can leave to shower, have dinner, get props, or see the kids play soccer.

Before everyone leaves, you, as the organizer, should get a title and cast list from each director so you can make and run off programs. By this time you should have an idea of what each show is about. It’s up to you to decide in what order they should go. Try putting similar shows near each other so the comedies don’t conflict with the dramas.

Also, make a full cast list including all actors and directors and put them in alphabetical order. Get someone to work your box office. And, if you’re really feeling ambitious, get cheap sodas and snacks to sell.

About an hour before the show, casts should reconvene, do their final rehearsals, and prepare to break legs. You should prepare your curtain speech that will tell the audience how the instant theater works.

The Box Office

It’s great fun to work in theater, but it’s even more fun to get paid for it. So, the box office, even if it’s just a friend standing at the door, should have a list of all of the actors, directors, and writers. Have the box office ask attendees who they are there to see. Participants will then get paid half of the total admission price for all of the audience members they attracted.

Tips for Organizers, Writers, Directors, and Actors

The short time frame format requires that everyone involved work quickly. For actors, it’s an excellent tool to sharpen improvisation and memorization skills. For directors, it is a good way to learn the value of keeping things simple and letting go of some control. For writers, it helps hone dialogue skills.

Once you get used to organizing the events, play around with ideas. Do theme shows near the holidays. Or have writers work various words (picked form a hat) into the show. List these words in the program to create audience involvement. The possibilities are endless, the work is fun, and the time investment minimal for a great return. It’s real theater thrills packed into a weekend.