Normally, we would have already held a MadCap Theatre Festival this year. But 2021 is the year of rolling up your sleeves and trying something new for a brighter future.

 

This year's NEW MadCap challenge will assemble teams of playwrights to create plays that take place across a distance where the characters can't see each other. This might be styled as a telephone conversation, but a specific mode of communication will be part of each team's prompts (Walkie talkie? Intercom? You'll find out when the writing begins!).

 

Each play will be split into two halves (or "sides" if you're up on your classical theatre vocabulary), then given to the actors in a collected volume. Two actors will call each other on the phone to perform the plays for each other. Each actor will only see their own lines, so as they listen they will be an audience for each other. If you don't have a convenient acting partner in your Rolodex, we will be happy to match you up with a fellow theatre enthusiast.

 

Writing will take place on February 12-13

Writers can choose the 12-hour Overnight session or the 12-hour Daytime session

Scripts will be available February 19-20

Emailed for free in PDF format or printed for a small fee with pickup at Paradigm Coffee and Music in Sheboygan

The "World Premiere" will take place at 7:00 PM CST on February 20th

Actors who wish to be randomly matched will receive each other's contact information by email earlier that day. If you prefer to choose your own reading partner or are under 18, you can share half of the script with someone you know. (If you're under 18, we can't share your phone number with a random person, even if they're probably really nice).

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Need to know more about writing?

 Check out this Writer's Guide, which describes the whole process in detail. It also includes an example that shows how each play gets created from start to finish.

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Need to know more about acting? 

Check out the Actor's Guide, which explains the performance process and includes an example telephone theatre script.