CLARKSTON, Ga.—Atlanta-area residents and theater professionals are invited to join Georgia State University students, faculty and staff for the third annual Plays in a Day festival to be held on Georgia State’s Clarkston Campus Friday-Saturday, Aug. 25-26.
Plays in a Day is patterned after similar festivals that give amateur and professional actors, directors, stage managers and tech crew a chance to cast, write, rehearse and stage a play, from start to finish, in just 24 hours.
“It’s this kind of caffeine-fueled day, with pure, creative energy pulsing through the group,” said Aaron Gotlieb, who will serve as faculty adviser for the event. Gotlieb is a theater instructor at Georgia State’s Perimeter College.
Writers, producers and directors are pre-selected for Plays in a Day, but aspiring actors can show up for on-the-spot auditions during the first hour of the event on Friday, Aug 25.
Once actors are selected, writers will begin composing their scripts based on prompts made known to them only minutes before.
“It’s an ideal situation that enables our students to work alongside those who’ve spent years crafting their skills as professionals,” Gotlieb said.
Perimeter graduate Jeremiah Davison came up with the idea to host Plays in a Day at Perimeter College as a fundraiser to send students to the annual Southeastern Theatre Conference.
“The turnouts have been great every year,” Davison said of those attending the final productions.
In all, the cast and crew will stage six, 10-minute plays to be performed at Georgia State’s Cole Auditorium, 555 N. Indian Creek Drive, on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m.—a mere 24 hours after starting their venture.
“It's just this delightful, creative madhouse where the product matters, to a degree—but it's more about getting to figure out how to solve problems on the spot,” Gotlieb said.
Visit the Plays in a Day website or send an email to [email protected] to learn more about how to get involved with the festival, which is hosted by the Theatre Arts Guild and the Clarkston Campus Drama Club.