Tonight, somewhere, a play will end. The audience and the cast will then shuffle off to the local watering hole to celebrate, complain, criticize, and question what they have seen.
Even greater than the variety of venues is the variety of plays, all of which stay under the half hour mark. Some will grip you harder than you will grip your glass as you sit mesmerized by the drama not in front of you on some stage, but right next to you. Some will be loud and open enough to call for another round without missing a beat. Some plays will be over before you finish your drink. The program for most nights consists of a longer one-act play paired with a couple of shorter pieces. There will also a variety of half time entertainment to give everyone a chance to get another round.
FAQ's:
Do I have to be 21? Depends on the establishment. Check the individual bar pages on this site for details.
Is it just these two weeks? Right now, that's what we have scheduled.
Is it going to be happening again? Yes and no. If you come down, and thereby let the bar owners that this is something you want, then, YES. On the other hand, NO, because the shape of it will be different from one incarnation to the next. All that said, we're not paying to host this site for a one time deal.
Who is behind this? Nominally, Words Progress Administration is the producing entity. It is a newly declared group of artists that share a commitment to advancing word based art. This is the first public outing for the WPA. Its membership at this point consists entirely of the BarPlays producing staff, who are:
David Higgins David has been performing puppet shows for the past 3 or 4 years and writing for human performers for the past year or two. He has been helping to curate and host Blood From a Turnip this past season. He lives round Mount Hope.
- Amanda Weir Amanda started writing for humans and now commands puppets on occasion. She also stage manages and co-produced the Providence Playwrights Festival a couple summers ago. She lives over on the West Side.
- James Celenza James has been part of the Providence Playwrights Festival and Think Tank Festival and when there aren't enough festivals going on, he has organized readings of his own, most notably at Abe's. He lives in Fox Point.
- Adara Meyers Adara has worked at producing and presenting both her own work and that of others, bringing the Providence Playwrights Festival to light with Amanda. She was also one of the co-founders of the Providence Playwrights Salon, which provided a foundation for that festival and a resource for other locally grown theater. She lives near Federal Hill.
Mathew Provost Mathew, who has written for both the large and small screens came to BarPlays with his first play for the stage, even though we don't have a stage. He also brought to our lack of a stage his experience in film production. He lives on the East Bay.
Along with the producers, there have been many people that have given a hand in casting, offering advice, answering questions and lending a hand. Key among these people in the community that have made this possible are:
- Mark Cook, who along with providing a play, offered thoughts from his similar project in Northampton, Ma
- Vanessa Gilbert, who answered many questions and, more importantly, asked questions
- Kevin Broccoli, who was generous with his time and has been great in spreading the word
- Alison DeLisi, who has stepped up to the plate in taking on some of the 'gotta be done' bits
