For the first time in its more than 120-year history, the Belmont Dramatic Club (BDC) will hold a short play festival – and the group has already received 55 submissions.
“I just think it’s absolutely fantastic,” said BDC board member Renee Walsh about the number of playwrights vying to be part of “The Show Must Go On” – the title and theme of the event.
Walsh said she hopes to receive even more scripts before the March 27 deadline. Once the BDC reading committee makes its final choices of about eight plays, writers will be notified in April, directors will be chosen in May, acting auditions will be held in June, and audiences can enjoy five nights of shows in November.
“We really want to give writers the exposure and a chance to see their works come to life,” said Walsh. “It’s a great way to get a lot of new people involved … [and] we have so much talent in the Boston suburban area.”
Fitting the Bill
The festival is open to all playwrights in the New England area, including teens and children.
“We’re willing to read anything,” said Walsh.
The BDC has crafted some essential parameters for the pieces, including what each play can and cannot include.
Writers must adhere to a strict 20-minute time limit for their work because about eight plays will be included during each night’s performance.
“This isn’t ‘War and Peace,’” Walsh said.
Because of the nature of short plays, only two to five actors can perform in each piece, and complex or highly technical sets cannot be built.
“We can’t create the Taj Mahal,” she said.
However, within those restrictions there is a lot of freedom on how the playwrights interpret the theme of “The Show Must Go On” and the roles they invent.
Because up to five actors can perform in each play, there could be a total of 40 for the entire show.
The BDC is encouraging playwrights “to include roles for actors across a wide spectrum of race, gender expression, religion, age, body type, and ability,” according to the group’s website.
“We need people from all sorts of backgrounds … to be making art,” Walsh said. “We hope that our casts reflect the community at large.”
Although actors may try out for a specific role, a director for a different play may consider them for their production.
“You may audition for one thing and then get cast in something else,” Walsh said. “It’s really a fun process.”
For more information on the short play festival and how to enter, visit tinyurl.com/BDCScript1.
The Belmont Dramatic Club’s next play, “Boeing Boeing,” will run April 18 and 19 and April 25 and 26 at Belmont Town Hall, 455 Concord Ave.
