WANT TO PUT ON A SHOW???
ANNOUNCING
A BI-COLLEGE STUDENT THEATER FESTIVAL
What it is:
Next semester, the Bi-College Theater Program will produce a set of plays, monologues, performances, acts directed and acted by YOU in the newly renovated Goodhart Hall. We supply the (brand-new) space, the state-of-the-art machinery, all of the funding, the PR, the technical support and as much guidance and advice as you’d like. You supply the vision, the ideas, and the determination to get it done. Some participants will be eligible to receive academic credit for their work.
This is a chance for you to do the theater that you want to do, big or little, arty or schmaltzy, new or old.
How it works:
Individuals or groups of students make proposals to a committee who will evaluate the proposals and who will choose a set of projects that we think we can handle and which will be a good mix of opportunities. Proposals are due when we get back from Thanksgiving Break and the projects will be chosen by the end of the semester.
Proposals should include as much as you know about the project: What play (if you know); who else is committed to working on it with you; why you want to do this play (or act or performance or whatever) and what ideas you have for how you want to do it. In particular we’d like to know what technical requirements you think the piece has and how long it will run. We understand that you may not have full answers to all those questions. If you think you’re interested, you can be in touch with Mark Lord (mlord@brynmawr.edu) for advice on how to put together a proposal. (We can even help you to find a play if you have a vague idea but no specific project in mind.)
After we choose projects, you’ll meet with our guest designers and production managers and the producer of the festival will talk with you about your process. We can help with auditions, casting, ideas for running rehearsals, etc. The focus of the festival is to let you do the art (or entertainment or whatever) in a supportive environment. Projects will rehearse second semester and will be performed in April in Goodhart Hall at Bryn Mawr College.
What kind of work is eligible?
Whatever. Really. Plays, new plays, radio plays, performance art, monologues, vaudeville bits, puppetry, toy theater, clowning, circus, opera, stand-up comedy, magic, baton twirling, adaptations, cabaret, political theater, hip-hop theater, theater in rhymed couplets, queer theater, dance theater, theater in languages other than English. If there’s an aesthetic idea that’s driving the festival, it’s that there are lots of kinds of theater and performance that people in our communities are interested in…and we want to share and support them.
Because we want to be able to support several projects, we will be somewhat predisposed in favor of shorter pieces. We are unlikely to be able to have the resources to support anything longer than an hour.
Have you done this before?
Several times. And they’ve always been great fun and awesome learning experiences. We’ve produced work ranging from a live staging of an old radio show to the remounting of an important Polish avant-garde movement piece. And lots of original student work.
What if I’m really interested but I don’t know that many plays or that many people?
Ask around. Be in touch with the organizers. Or you can apply with an idea and not a title. And if you have a great idea and don’t have a team organized, you can apply by yourself and we’ll do our best to help you to find people to work with.
What if I have questions?
Email Mark Lord (mlord@brynmawr.edu). Or visit our blog: http://bicotheaterfeestival09.blogspot.com/ (you're already here...)
