It’s a literal and metaphoric rush.
In 24 hours, the cast and creators meet. Inspiration is had and words are put on the page. Costumes and props gathered and made, lines learned, and then one ephemeral performance. And then, it’s gone.
“I’ve seen it referred to as theater without a net,” said Steve Jackson, CEO and directing manager of the Park Theatre in Jaffrey. “Which is fun. There is a lot of craziness, but that’s part of the joy.”
24 Hour Plays is a worldwide movement of spontaneous creativity, and through the Matchbook Players and the Park Theatre, it’s coming to Jaffrey on Oct. 8.
Paige Lussier-Johnson of Jaffrey, founder of the Matchbook Players, her new theater company, decided to bring the concept of a 24-Hour Plays festival to Jaffrey after having been part of one while living in New York.
“It was really exciting theater, and I will never forget it,” said Lussier-Johnson. “I did some of my best work acting in that play, and only a few people will ever know. It’s like a mandala of art. It’s there, and then it’s gone.”
Lussier-Johnson has identified six play writers and six directors, as well as 22 possible castmates. How it works is that the whole group will come together for the first time on Oct. 7, at 7:30 p.m. with no prior interaction.
And then the clock starts ticking.
The first evening is all about sparking inspiration. Six groups are randomly formed. The writers and directors are randomly paired and get a number by pulling it out of a hat – that’s the number of cast members they have. Again, randomly, casts are assigned, and then the process begins.
Cast members are encouraged to bring a costume set piece or prop to inspire their writers. And to talk to them. Lussier-Johnson, for example, when she was in a 24-hour play in New York, shared with her writer that she liked cupcakes and got one each year for her birthday – a detail which made it into the resulting emotional play about family bonds called “Cupcake Therapy.”
The writers take those sparks of inspiration and begin writing. And they best have a lot of coffee on hand, because the scripts are due at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, and whatever you have at 5:59 a.m. is it – whether it has an ending or makes sense or not.
“You don’t want something the writer has taken off the shelf,” said Jackson. “You want something to happen organically.”
“And if there’s no ending, that’s just a challenge for the director, to find a way to wrap things up and put a button on it. That’s what makes it fun and challenging for them, too,” said Lussier-Johnson.
So then, it’s less than 12 hours to go. Just enough – barely – for rehearsal, blocking, scrambling for set pieces and costumes and learning lines. One of the even sponsors, the antique store the Melamine Cup, has offered to allow any item in their store to be used as a prop or set piece and TEAM Jaffrey has offered any leftover clothing from the Scarecrows on the Common event, also happening that Saturday. The rest, actors will have to scrounge from their own belongings or through calls put out on social media.
At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, the curtain rises, and ready or not, the plays begin.
Jackson said that this kind of innovation is what the Park Theatre will be looking to bring to the region when construction is complete.
“This is a sample of what we’re going to try to present when the theater is open,” said Jackson. “We’re going to look for things that surprise and delight people.”
The performance of the six one-act completed plays will be held at the Jaffrey Woman’s Club at 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 8. Tickets are $5. Funds support the Park Theatre construction project. Advance purchase is encouraged as seating is limited. Tickets are available through the Park Theatre office or on their website at www.theparktheatre.org. For more information about the Matchbook Players, visit www.facebook.com/MatchbookPlayers.
In addition to the Melamine Cup the show is additionally sponsored and produced by Sunflowers Cafe, DD Bean, Hill Family Insurance and Grove Street Fiduciary.