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T-Minus 60…and Counting!
How much can a playwright say in one minute? In 45 seconds? Less? “Says most, talks least” is an essential trait for writers called to a One Minute Play Festival. Perhaps familiar to many Dramatists Guild members, OMPF is the brainchild of director Dominic D’Andrea who, over the past several years, has brought the event to more than a dozen locations in the US. According to OMPF’s website, “in each city, OMPF creates locally sourced playwright-focused community events, with the goal of promoting the spirit of radical inclusion by representing local cultures of playwrights of different age, gender, race, cultures, and points of career.” While controversial (does it celebrate playwriting or demean it?), OMPF definitely provides opportunity! In Baltimore this February, 29 playwrights penned 52 plays for six directors and 38 actors. Hosted by EMP Collective in their new Westside space, sellout crowds enjoyed two nights of…well…why don’t I stop writing and let some people involved tell you about it in true fast-and-furious OMPF style!
Gwydion Suilebhan, Playwright and DG Member: The whole event was totally Baltimore: 52 plays’ worth of take-you-by-surprise, fake-right-and-run-left, anything can happen, half-tacky/half-superb splendor.
Liz Maestri, Playwright and DG Member: OMPF Baltimore was everything it should have been: completely reflective of Baltimore theater. Youthful, scrappy, fun. DIY. OMPF is all about the communities it reaches, and for this reason I’m very glad that EMP hosted, as opposed to one of Baltimore’s “traditional” theaters. EMP (and the festival) embodies the spirit and style of Baltimore’s theater/performance scene right now. This is a scene that will continue to change and grow, but one that keeps the entire region alive n’ kickin’.
Jared Margulies, Director: My expectation going in was this was theater for the twitter generation and I was curious. Now, having lived through the process and seen the performances twice, this strikes me as off the mark. Short, yes, but there were some really impressive moments tucked inside those one-minute confines….it really is genuinely surprising how much can happen in a minute. SPEED GOLF!
Mark Scharf, Playwright and DG Member: 52-plus plays, six directors, 40 actors unfolding in first-rate performances before a sold out house! The evening wasn’t a gimmick; it was an amazing first class collective theatre experience for everyone – I’m sure the energy could be felt on the street outside!
Sarah Weissman, Actor: I was a competitive pregnant bitch, a cheating girlfriend, and a sweet young woman in one evening. I got to be four women in nine minutes – some women opposite from me. One utterly me. Baltimore has made me an actor.
Caitlin Saylor Stephens, Playwright and DG Member: The space. The audience. The community. The music! The wigs! The paintings of the plays! The whole thing felt very reflective of Baltimore and its artistic community – a quirky yet harmonious mish-mash of voices and perspectives….the artists of Baltimore are fearless in their ability to take risks and facilitate a dialogue between different mediums.
Andrew Peters, Director: This was a wonderful exercise in how to create a moment in a finite amount of time – with a goal to create eight to nine ‘pulses’ of storytelling. It amazed me to see how everyone interpreted each play and how we created 52 small worlds to hop in and out of. It kept for a lively evening where we got to sample so many different voices and atmospheres, almost like some giant mashup album of theatre.
Elliott Rauh, Director: This is what I kept telling my actors: energy, energy energy, pace, pace, pace. Can’t wait to do it again!
Susan McCully, Playwright and DG member: Watching talented, young directors and the well-assembled casts spend 60 minutes of focused artistry on my two 50-second plays, I felt a wave of gratitude, a flash of genuine connection, a little dose of love….Researchers assert the feeling we know as love is a measurable biochemical and physiological impulse - a microburst of positive connectedness that can only occur when two people are in the same physical space. In short, love is a one-minute play!
Susan Anthony, Actor: One minute to connect with fellow ensemble actors. One minute to connect with your audience. Intense. Exhilarating. I hope there is a next time.
And Baltimore hopes there is a next time as well. To be sure, not everyone thinks one-minute plays are an advancement of our art. But judge for yourself: you can watch the Baltimore One Minute Play Festival at this link: http://www.livestream.com/newplay/video?clipId=pla_4454f2ad-fded-416d-a179-1eb55ba25f68
respey@dramatistsguild.com