Gary Garrison, founder of The Loop and Roland Tec co-wrote a 70-min. play in which all the characters on stage are meeting each other for the first time. In a bold act of theatrical chutzpah, Artistic New Directions -- a New York Theatre Compnay -- has commandeered five separate theatre companies in town to rehearse the play separately.

Five different companies, then, are rehearsing the five-character play in five separate locations; they've never met. On any given night of performance, one actor from each company will be called to perform the play with unknown scene partners whom they meet on stage (as in the story of the play) in front of the audience. In essence, the result is: 25 unique opening nights.

The play is called The Rubber Room and involves a bunch of NYC public school teachers caught in one of these "Reassignment Centers" while they wait for a hearing on the disciplinary charges that caused them to be swiftly yanked from their classrooms. Come check it out. Performances are twice nightly (plus some weekend afternoons) on every consecutive day between Feb 9 and Feb 20.

Please click the post's title to go to the Artistic New Directions web page.

The Loop Online is a tremendous resource for playwrights. You can find its link on the right side of this blog. Membership is free.