
North Texas’ WaterTower Theatre (WTT) has presented its Out of the Loop Fringe Festival of music, drama, comedy, and dance for 14 years already, but the current edition (running now through March 6 at the Addison Theatre Centre) does something the company has never done before: create the 24-HR Play Festival in which a slate of playwrights, directors, and actors gather to create several new plays—from conception to writing to rehearsal to performance—in just one day. We asked Kelsey Leigh Ervi, one of the mini-fest’s producers, about the logistics of making art on deadline, and how diversity played a huge role in the decision-making process.
Where did the idea for the 24-HR Play Festival come from?
Janeth Farnsworth, WTT’s education and community services manager, had heard of various 24-HR Play Festivals around the country, the majority of them typically seen in undergraduate programs. We knew that this idea hadn’t really been tapped in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on a professional scale, and so we started researching different models and began shaping the structure for our own festival.
How did you select the playwrights, directors, and actors?
The playwrights were selected on a submission basis. Interested playwrights submitted either a one-act play or a selection from a full-length play. After receiving the submissions, Janeth, Kyle Eric Bradford [WTT’s assistant community services manager], and I reviewed them and rated the scripts based on a point system—diversity of characters, uniqueness of plot, quality of writing, playwright’s ability to tackle complex issues; from there we selected four. The directors were hand-picked by Janeth, Kyle, and myself. We tried to pick not only a diverse group of directors, but also [those] we felt could work effectively and efficiently in the strict time period. Once the directors were chosen, it was their job to choose the actors. We gave them a list of guidelines, which encouraged them to cast 3–6 actors that filled a diverse quality in either age, gender, or race.
What will the process be?
All of the participants will come together on Friday, March 4, at 8 p.m., which is the beginning of the 24-hour time period. The actors are required to bring either a costume piece or prop to further inspire the playwright in their writing process. This is also when the playwrights will be given their prompt [the theme or idea that all shows must be written about] and assigned their director and group of actors. The playwrights will have until 5 a.m. the following morning to write their first drafts. Over the next 14 hours, each group will receive a two-hour rehearsal in the main stage, a 30-minute tech consultation with the technicians, and a 30-minute tech rehearsal. The performances will take place on Saturday, March 5 at 8 p.m.
As an actor, writer, and director yourself, what would be your biggest concern for agreeing to do something like this?
I think the biggest concern on anyone’s mind will probably be time. The playwrights have a limited window to write an original 15-minute play. The directors have a very small window of time to stage the plays. And then the actors have just a few hours to memorize their lines! This kind of short time period is breaking the traditional rehearsal-tech-performance model of theater. I’m sure it will be stressful, but ultimately rewarding.
What is the end goal for this kind of festival?
At WaterTower, we’re always looking for opportunities to work with new artists and to foster new work. That being said, the 24-HR Play Festival specifically serves to encourage local artists to work collaboratively. This year’s inaugural festival is bringing in an extremely talented and diverse group of artists, many of whom have never worked at WaterTower. Because of that, even before the festival has begun, my fellow co-producers and I already see this project as a success.
The Out of the Loop Fringe Festival will be happening now through March 6. The 24-HR Play Festival takes place March 4–5.
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