24 hour theater comes to the bluish barn

I have a few friends participating in the 24-hour theater project taking place at the Bluish Barn on May 5. Here’s the blurb that’s been circulating:

24 Hour Theater is an experimental performance piece in which the entire process of a theatrical production is condensed into one day. Between the hours of midnight and 9 a.m., three playwrights will each create a 15 to 20 minute play to be performed by three actors. The actors arrive at 9 a.m. to memorize and rehearse the scripts. By noon, costume and set designers, technicians and crew will be sewing, painting, wiring, as time gets short and the energy mounts. The curtain rises at 8:30 p.m. In this experiment, the product is secondary to the creative process. The time frame calls for a level of improvisation, collaboration, and resourcefulness that will encourage spontaneity and creativity in every step of production. All of the artists involved will push the limits of their imaginative and physical stamina to create a public performance of intensity, originality and perhaps mass chaos. (The Bluish Barn is at 712 N. Fifth Ave. in Ann Arbor.)

I don’t know how they pick themes for the plays. If someone knows, send me a note. I’m interested. My guess is that they don’t leave it up to the playwrights, as they could begin ahead of time if they knew the subject matter. I suspect the organizer of the event hands them sealed envelopes at the strike of midnight. Perhaps we could submit ideas in the comments section here at MM.com, just in case they’re looking for inspiration. Here’s my contribution: Two people meet outside a Furry convention. They are dressed in remarkably similar costumes. They stand outside, neither one wanting to enter with the other, and proceed to talk/quarrel. (I have an idea as to how this play would end, but I suspect that the playwrights wouldn’t want the endings dictated.)