The One-Minute Play Festival (#1MPF) launched its Coronavirus Plays Project, a 10-night event of 600-plus readings by playwrights from all over the world, April 8. The pieces will be presented through April 18 on Zoom each night beginning at 7:30 PM ET.
Among the playwrights who have submitted work are Tina Howe (Pride’s Crossing), Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies (Dinner With Friends), Kate Hamill (Dracula) and Playbill’s own Jim Cairl. “I wrote about the sadness of being apart from a loved one for their own well-being—how bittersweet it is to hear them, but not be able to touch them, especially when every instinct tells you to run and protect them,” said Hamill.
The project began the first day a shelter-in-place order was declared with an open call to anyone who wanted to write a short piece of 150 words or less. Playwrights were not given a specific prompt, but were asked to respond to this crisis in any way that spoke to them. Ten different theatre companies and universities are producing a selection of 62-65 plays each evening. Work will be read alphabetically by last name of author over the performances. A complete roster of artists can be found on the #1MPF Facebook page.
To register for the Zoom sessions, sign up on the Google Doc form. A link will be emailed on the afternoon of each show—see the schedule below.
April 8: Hosted and produced by Ben Raanan of the DePaul University MFA Program in Chicago
April 9: Hosted and produced by Francisco Solorzano of Barefoot Theatre Company in NYC
April 10: Hosted and produced by Pete Boisvert of Queens Theatre in NYC
April 11: Hosted and produced by Annie Levy of Emerson Stage at Emerson College in Boston
April 13: Hosted and produced by Freddie Ashley and Seamus Bourne of Actor’s Express in Atlanta
April 14: Hosted and produced by Anna Trachtman of Chicago 1MPF
April 15: Hosted and produced by Bevin M. O’Gara and Tyler Struble of Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca
April 16: Hosted and produced by Brant Russell of Know Theatre in Cincinnati
April 17: Hosted and produced by Tina Parker and Tim Johnson of Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas
April 18: Hosted and produced by Harry Waters, Jr. of Macalester College in Minneapolis
