PlayWrite Newsletter July 2024
Surprise is key in all art. –Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian Architect
Actors, directors, writers, producers, crew of 24-Hour PLAY-a-Thon 2024. Photo: Karla D. Smith.
24-Hour PLAY-a-Thon 2024 a Hit!
PlayWrite, Inc.’s 2nd annual 24-Hour PLAY-a-Thon happened, and all we can say is—wow!
The enthusiasm and dedication of the participants was fabulous, and the works they produced in 24 short hours were wonderfully entertaining.
PlayWrite’s mission is to use the power of performance in art to transform “youth at the edge,” but our 24-Hour PLAY-a-Thon is a celebration of the theatre community that makes it possible. All talent for the event—writers, directors, actors, crew—are adults. PLAY-a-Thon is a fundraiser, so these are grown-up creatives working for the benefit of our student writers.
Poison Waters, emcee of PlayWrite 24-Hour PLAY-a-Thon 2024. Photo: Rebekah Johnson.
From comedy to tragedy to absurd fantasies, event participants delivered seven short plays with strong, well-played dramatic elements. Judges Sarah Jane Hardy (Artistic Director, Northwest Children’s Theatre), Jelani Memory (author/entrepreneur dedicated to creating meaningful children's literature), and Saren Nofs Snyder (actor, director, dialect coach) had a hard time picking the winners from this stellar collection. (Revisit our June Newsletter to learn more about our judges.)
Poison Waters, emcee extraordinaire, said when kicking off the festivities: “Last night, our writers drew for their play’s genre, cast size, and a prop and line to work into their play. Then, this morning, our directors and actors were randomly assigned a script to learn and perform. This is live theatre, as raw as it gets! Let’s get started!”
The evening’s play lineup (photos by Rebekah Johnson):
News to Me, Julie Moleski, Danger Jones
First play up: News to Me
Written by: Valerie Asbell
Director: Marion Dawn Hazelwood
Cast: Danger Jones, Julie Moleski
Genre: Writer’s Choice
Prop: The letter “H”
Line: “You gotta scrub it. Scrub it like it insulted your mom and then stole your dog.”
Office Party, Sanjana Venkat, Danielle Pecoff, Ava Rose
Second play: Office Party!
Written by: Mishelle Apalategui
Director: Tony Bump
Cast: Danielle Pecoff, Ava Rose, Sanjana Venkat
Genre: Comedy
Prop: Post-it Notes
Line: “The blanket was fine. It knows what it did.”
Deep Breath, Byron Jones, Melissa Standley - JUDGES CHOICE
JUDGES CHOICE AWARD
Third play: Deep Breath
Written by: Sela Ellen Underwood
Director: Tom Cocklin
Cast: Byron Jones, Melissa Standley
Genre: Absurd
Prop: Paint roller
Line: “Okay, deep breath. Now, who or what has convinced you that putting it on your face will help?”
Dog Days, Marjorie Marcellus, Laura Nelsen - BEST USE OF PROP
BEST USE OF PROP AWARD
Fourth play: Dog Days
Written by: Laila Mottaghi
Director: Kaylen Rich
Cast: Keith Aisner, Marjorie Marcellus, Laura Nelsen
Genre: Tragedy
Prop: Ironing board
Line: “Is that what the book says? Because my instinct is telling me to cut it.”
Atomic Babe, Rachel Fishman, Carrie Lederer - AUDIENCE CHOICE
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
Attack! of the Atomic Babe from Outer Space, Based on the novel ‘Terror from Planet Y' by acclaimed science fiction author H.R. Littels
Written by: Sean Kirkpatrick
Director: Chrystal Figueroa
Cast: Rachel Fishman, Carrie Lederer
Genre: Adaptation/Science Fiction
Prop: Tire pressure gauge
Line: “How would you know what purpose predicated my putting pen to….parchment?”
What John Saw, Magnolia Brown, Sarah Brody Webb, Gregg Prosser
Sixth play: What John Saw
Written by: Hayden Tyler
Director: Chazz Miska
Cast: Magnolia Brown, Greg Prosser, Sarah Brody Webb
Genre: Suspense
Prop: Noise-making tube toy
Line: “How is that supposed to help? I mean nobody told me where to park my shoes.”
Finger Lime, Kali Cardenas, Nathan Will, Joe Cullen, Adrianna Denslinger - BEST USE OF LINE
BEST USE OF LINE AWARD
Seventh (and final) play: Finger Lime
Written by: Brian Kettler
Director: Houston Hunt
Cast: Kali Cardenas, Adrianna Denslinger, Nathan Will, Joe Cullen
Genre: Drama
Prop: Sharpie Magnum
Line: “Why don’t we have tails? I mean we have them in womb for at least a little while.”
Our thanks to all who made this year’s 24-Hour PLAY-a-Thon a success! From the creative participants who gave so incredibly of their time and talents to our generous donors who contributed to the auction and raffle to our fabulous audience members and supporters who turned up and turned out. Because of you, more kids will be positively impacted and more lives will be transformed by our PlayWrite, Inc. programs.
We can’t wait for PLAY-a-THON 2025!
A Happy New Year
24-Hour PLAY-a-Thon was a terrific way to wrap up our fiscal year. As PlayWrite, Inc. looks ahead, we are pleased to announce Aimee Farr has been named Executive Director. Her longtime experience with and passion for PlayWrite, partnered with the efforts of our dedicated board and staff, promises continued growth for the organization!
Watch for a close-up conversation with Aimee in our next newsletter.
More News About PlayWrite People
PlayWrite stalwart coach/actor Bobby Bermea (also co-artistic director of the Beirut Wedding World Theatre Project) is playing his third season with Salt and Sage, this time as Falstaff!
See Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, and Henry V August 9 - 31 at Shaking the Tree, 823 SE Grant St, Portland. More info here.
Questions? Comments? We’d love to hear from you
Drop a line to info@playwriteinc.org and let us know what’s up. Be sure to Follow us on Instagram & Facebook for timely news and information.
See you at the theatre, friends!
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