Essential Theatre introduces 24-hour play fest, trading perfection for creativity

There is something slightly unhinged about writing and producing a play in 24 hours. In some ways, it’s a trial by fire, and in others it’s the theatrical equivalent of throwing paint at the wall. Either way, it is a bonding experience like no other. Essential Theatre is seeking to cultivate a similar experience with its first event of the year, the Southern Fried Bake-Off. Inspired by playwright Paula Vogel’s model, educational associates Emily McClain and Amina McIntyre brainstormed a new vision for their 24-hour play fest. The public performance will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 6, at Core Dance in downtown Decatur.

According to McClain, “We felt something has been missing in terms of a community-building event that really has low stakes and low time investment but still has the potential for creating a lot of really wonderful connections. That was sort of the impulse for why we created it.”

Vogel’s bake-off model has playwrights creating original pieces based on a common source of inspiration, whether that be a painting, a poem or anything chosen by Vogel. Essential Theatre has put a different spin on this system, however: assembling a list of “ingredients” which will be mixed and matched into “combo plates,” as one would associate with a classic Southern barbecue. The play ingredients may be a certain setting, a prop that must appear, a thematic through line or some other element the playwright must incorporate — think Chopped but for playwriting. Playwrights will be able to select which combo plate they will use to create their play.

The festival also provides a chance to build connections among artists, something most of the Atlanta arts community is constantly striving for, particularly in an age of such separation. Whether something comes of the play and the playwright decides to expand it or it just gets the individual out of a writing rut — and whether the cast and creative team have worked together a hundred times or are just meeting — it’s a chance to stretch everyone’s creative muscles and make connections that could flourish. If nothing else, throwing paint at the wall can be a lot of fun.

Essential Theatre is not the first in Atlanta to host a 24-hour play festival, though they are the first to use this particular format. When asked about the history of 24-hour play festivals in Atlanta, educational associate Elisabeth Cooper remembered a variety of approaches.

“As far as anyone can remember, Synchronicity started it a bunch of years ago. They only did it for about two years. It was Synchronicity and a film collective that put it together and produced it over at Horizon Theatre. Then Horizon Theatre started to put one together, but that was when Horizon was in the process of starting their New Playwrights Festival, and it sort of morphed into that program. Our friends over at Working Title Playwrights sort of took up the mantle after that. As far as I know, none of the previous have had the bake-off style for the playwrights to work with. So we had a lot of different examples from the past that we could pull from.”

Each of the seven participating playwrights has been selected through a lottery from a pool of 15 applications. Essential Theatre pulled actors and directors from the community, reaching out both to those who had experience with 24-hour play festivals and those who did not. An important part of the process was giving opportunities to people who may never have stepped into a directing role before or who were looking for the chance to test their mettle. 

It is, indeed, a test of artistic ingenuity for all involved. The 24-hour play fest inherently resists perfectionism. There is little time for second-guessing or polishing. Decisions have to be made quickly and conclusively in order to keep the process moving. Playwrights cannot hem and haw over each line; directors cannot try a scene countless different ways in order to find the perfect choice. While this can be quite demanding, it is also a valuable experience for artists, many of whom are infamously perfectionists. 

As McClain said, “The creative pressure for the playwrights does have this stressful aspect, but then also, [after] 24 hours, it’s over! It’s done! If it’s a total hot mess, then that’s a thing that happened, and we still celebrate that. That’s the beauty of it — it’s very temporary.”

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Luke Evans is an Atlanta-based writer, critic and dramaturg. He covers theater for ArtsATL and Broadway World Atlanta and has worked with theaters such as the Alliance, Actor’s Express, Out Front Theatre and Woodstock Arts. He’s a graduate of Oglethorpe University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and the University of Houston, where he earned his master’s.