So many plays! A Number!...AND...haiku contest!

Wow! These are some great plays, and LOTS of them! I can’t thank everyone enough for taking the time to jot down some of your faves. Turns out, a lot of them are our faves, too! Some are already on our short list, while some others are on a different list because they’ve been performed around here in the last 5 years, etc. You know what I really appreciate is the thoughtfulness of suggesting plays that you think either fit into our space, budget or aesthetic. So many of these suggestions are spot on. At this point, we really have no idea what we’ll be able to choose, get the rights for, etc. but the time is coming when we will need to get out a season announcement. So again, thanks for giving us such a HUGE reading list!

I just started rehearsals for A Number, by Caryl Chuyrchill. I won’t say much about that since we have a guest who will be writing regular, oh what should I call them, not updates, but impressions of the process of working on this play. Dacy is a student at Warren Wilson College and our director, Ron Bashford, is one of her professors. Dacy sat in on the first rehearsal on Monday night and took notes for a series of blog posts we’ve asked her to write. We’ve really given her no instructions on what the posts should be other than her own impressions of the process from someone not involved in the production and someone not really involved in professional theatre.

So here's the first 2 posts of a regular series that I hope you’ll enjoy and feel free to comment upon.

Finally, the LYLAS sketch comedy group wound up their 2009 show at NC Stage this past weekend. I caught it this past Saturday and had a great time. My favorite sketch involved tourists on Segways. Nuff said. Anyway, they gave their curtain speech about turning off cell phones, where the exits are, etc with a series of haikus. I really love haikus.

So I want to announce an unofficial, impromptu haiku contest for our blog readers. Post your best haiku in 3 categories: haiku about NC Stage; haiku in praise of theatre; and haiku about your favorite play you’ve ever seen, anywhere.

I am the sole judge of this contest and there are no prizes as of yet. I will post winning haikus on the NC Stage Facebook page and on the literal wall at the theatre. If they really kick my ass, I’m sure I can come up with a couple of tickets for an upcoming production or maybe a gift card. How about that?