|
| Illustration by Scott Hughes / Juneau Empire |
|
Putting on any theatrical performance can be stressful, but planning a full production 24 hours before the curtain goes up is more than a little hectic.
Eric Caldwell knows this all too well, for he produced the first "24-Hour Miracle on Gold Street" and he's back this year for another go-round. This super-quick project brings together Juneau playwrights, directors, actors and technicians for adrenaline- and caffeine-fueled theater.
"It's an exhausting piece to produce, but the ability to get so many diverse people into one project is its own reward," Caldwell said.
Here's how the miracle works:
At 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, topics will be announced on KXLL Radio. Then writers, Sarah Brooks, Geoff Kirsen, Mike LeVine, Glenn Merrill, Erin Sanders and Korry Keeker, will take those topics and madly pen a 10- to 20-minute play for the next several hours.
At 8 a.m. Saturday, the writers will hand over their newly crafted masterpieces to directors and actors, who will rehearse them throughout the day.
|
'24-hour miracle'
What: Four plays written and produced within 24 hours, for Juneau-Douglas Little Theatre.
Where: The Canvas at 223 Seward St.
When: Plays staged at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29.
Tickets: $15 adults, $12 students / seniors available at Rainy Day Books and at the door.
|
While that is happening, sets are built, lights are hung and coffee consumed. A mere 24 hours after the topics are announced, it's time to put the scripts down, the costumes on and the lights up.
The first incarnation of the "24-Hour Miracle" is quite a war story for Caldwell. He joined the Juneau-Douglas Little Theatre board of directors last September.
"At my first meeting, I was handed the '24-Hour Miracle' production book, and was told, 'We booked the VFW Hall for a show, and it's happening in 19 days,'" Caldwell said.
Caldwell managed to enlist theater artists from around Juneau.
"Sometimes you get people who want to be in theater productions, but simply don't have the time to fit it into their schedules," he said. "But with only a time commitment of 12 hours, a whole new set of resources opens up."
Caldwell said he believes this year will run smoothly.
"But anything can happened," he added.
Playwright Sarah Brooks, who wrote the one-woman show "Translation" that debuted on Perseverance Theatre's second stage last season, says she is absolutely terrified and excited about this year's miracle.
"The perfectionist in me is panicking," Brooks said.
Nevertheless, Brooks said she is optimistic, regardless of the reaction.
"If it doesn't work, then the audience can say to themselves, 'Gee, she only had eight hours.' But if it works, they can say in amazement, 'Gee, she only had eight hours," Brooks said.
Even after pulling an all-nighter, Brooks plans on seeing her work from page to stage.
"I want to know what they're doing with that script," she said. "I'll probably be that annoying writer in the back."
Brooks is putting her trust and script in the hands of Alicia Hughes-Skandijs, a first-time director for the "24-Hour Miracle."
"I asked myself, 'Should I be worried?' and said, 'Nope, not even going to think about it,'" Hughes-Skandijs said. "I tend to tinker around as a director ... Naturally, I'm an indecisive person, but this forces me to use my resources and be decisive."
Hughes-Skandijs acted in last year's production. She said the experience was hectic, but in the end it came together.
"There's this excitement in the morning, and by lunch you hope to God you hit your stride and be completely memorized," she said. "But there's a real great group dynamic, and when you're coming together at the end, it's really magical."
