Homecoming Weekend

Theatre Reunion: October 23-24, 2009

Once Upon a Weekend

Here are the ground rules and here’s what we’d like to do for this year’s Homecoming Edition.

1. You may participate as an actor, director, or playwright.  Or you can just come to watch.
2. Once Upon a Weekend begins as a playwriting contest. You and our current students get one week to write a short piece (approximately 10 minutes) on a stated theme.  If you would like to participate in this phase of the event, we will post the theme to you on Monday, October 12.  You will need to send/email your script to us by noon on Monday, October 19.  We can only produce five or six scripts, and we will get more submissions than that, so it really will be a contest.  If you’re an alum submitting a play, we can’t promise we’ll produce it (!) since we want to have a mix of student and alumni work to perform.  You can send your scripts directly to Joyce (beeny@lclark.edu). 
3. Once we receive the work, we will choose five or six scripts to produce and then set about casting them – all prior to your arrival.  If you would like to participate as an actor, just let us know (again by contacting Joyce).  We will cast you in an appropriate role (or even better, a hideously inappropriate role!) sight unseen.  No audition!  If you would like to participate as a director, again just let us know.  Please advise if you have any time constraints on Saturday.  We will cast every alum interested in participating as an actor, but we may not be able to accommodate every single alum who would like to direct, due to the small number of pieces.  Nonetheless, we will try, and we’d love to have at least some alums direct!  At some appropriate moment on the Friday of your arrival, we’ll have a drum roll and announce the casting.  Directors will need to get a heads-up and a copy of the script prior to arrival.  We will try to mix each cast with alums and current students.  However you may choose to participate, please advise us of any Saturday time constraints.
4. Rehearsals will take place on Saturday.  Each play will get a total of two hours to rehearse in the Black Box.  This is the traditional amount of rehearsal time associated with Once Upon a Weekend.  We will announce the time of your rehearsal on the Friday of your arrival.  The whole point is to create an evening of rough-and-ready theatre, done in the course of a week.
5. The performance of all the scripts will take place in the Black Box on Saturday night at 10 pm.  You’ll get a packed, standing-room-only house, with musical performances between each piece.  It’s a party and it’s a hoot. 

So:  please get back to us with your questions, and please do get back and tell us if you’d like to participate.

Best wishes from all of us,

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