The Missouri Playwrights Workshop is putting on 21 plays in 5 days. It’s part of the annual Mizzou New Play Series, which allows students to write and direct original plays.
The lineup this year consists of full-length plays, one-act plays and concert readings, which last roughly 10 minutes.
Concert readings mean the scripts are not memorized and the movements aren’t usually staged, said Nathan Zaring, director of the 10-minute play “Expectations.” Often actors read the scripts on music stands, and stand or sit, instead of entering and exiting the stage.
“That’s the biggest problem with concert readings,” Zaring said. “Pulling the words off the page and making them do something. The meanings can be portrayed in a concert reading setting, so I have to think about different ways to approach presenting the words written.”
Actor and director Peter Smith said a concert reading is largely a suggestion of what a production could be.
“Readings are really about the words, and with a full production it’s more about seeing the play, rather than hearing,” Smith said. “It’s all about letting the language speak for itself.”
Work on the series started around Christmas break, when playwrights submitted their work to artistic director David Crespy.
“Some have directors in mind already,” Zaring said, “Some directors don’t know what they want to direct yet, so Crespy tries to match them based on his knowledge of them.”
Director and playwright David Marcia said mostly MU students participate, but the series has open casting, so many people from the community participate.
A graduate student in theatre, Marcia says he participates because the series is a good break from scholarship.
“I’ve been a director and writer for almost 30 years now,” Marcia said. “It’s something I’ve done a lot of, and enjoy doing.”
If plays are successful at the series, they go on to production at the MU subscription main stage. Marcia said the series doesn’t feel like a competition, even with that opportunity in mind. Instead, the series is a great learning experience, Marcia said.
“I think a lot of them find out what they want to do and what they don’t want to do,” Marcia said. “It’s an absolutely vital experience. It helps them decide if they want to direct a play or write a play. That’s not always easy to find. You can’t do theatre by yourself.”
Smith said he enjoys the series, because new material is rare.
“We’re having revivals, reinterpretations and movie musicals, but there’s not much new stuff happening, because no one wants to take the risk of investing and having it flop,” Smith said.
The series is free to the public and will run from April 4 to April 10 at the Corner Playhouse on Hitt Street. A full schedule is available [here](theatre.missouri.edu/mpw/newplayseries).