Weekend Wonders Online Play Festival Is Back This Weekend!

Draw names to assemble four teams from a list of 16 theatre artists, give them a theme and 48 hours, and come out the other end with 4 short, world premiere, plays. Oh, and do it all virtually, too. That's the premise behind Open Book's Weekend Wonders online new play festival.

Audience member Sue Brittain commented "Amazing! One topic, such unique variations." Diana Trent agreed. "Everyone has been so talented! It's impossible to pick a best play. I can't believe these were 48 hours start to finish. Amazing!!"

The event is free to watch, and streamed live on the Open Book Theatre Company Facebook page. It can also be watched at a later time, although "there's nothing like the energy of knowing it's happening in real time, right now!

"It's still live theatre," said OBTC Artistic Director, Krista Schafer Ewbank. "The short time frame gives a real urgency to the creation, and the positive pressure of performing it live is definitely different than if we recorded them. These artists really get to show you their creative chops and their dedication to the work. All of our artists are telling us how fun this is and the audience is loving the variety - we've had people crying tears of sorrow and tears of laughter all in one night."

Open Book had to close their doors to audiences a year ago this March, and has been reimagining live theatre and how to create connection ever since. "These free online festivals are a great way for everyone to have a new, meaningful experience," said Schafer Ewbank. Audience member Ray Tejada commented "This has been a very entertaining evening. Thanks for bringing back theatre."

February's festival plays will be performed live on Saturday, February 27th and will feature 16 wonderful artists from Michigan, including directors Sarah Hawkins Rusk, Sonja Marquis. Carrie Sayer, and Sarah Vazquez; playwrights Meg Berger, Sean Paraventi, Jacob Zinke, and Jennifer Ward; and performers Nicole Marie Hunt, Danielle Peck, Nick Szczerba, Dale Dobson, Tiaja Sabrie, Jade Sibert, Allison Megroet, and Celah Convis. This month's event is sponsored by Karen Wilson-Smithbauer. The theme and teams will be announced on Thursday, February 25th.

More information about Weekend Wonders, as well as Open Book's other offerings, can be found on their website, openbooktc.com. Or follow Open Book's Facebook page for all the announcements!