Georgia Southern University Theater Students to Creates Production and Perform Play in 24 Hours

August 15, 2012

The theater program at Georgia Southern University will kick off its 2012-2013 season with the second installment of “Wham, Bam, Play Slam.” The unique 24-hour production event introduces new and returning students to each other and the theater program, and provides a unique opportunity to showcase their talents.

“Last year’s Play Slam was really successful at getting new students to meet returning students and the plays that were written were hysterical,” said Lisa Abbott, assistant professor of theatre at Georgia Southern and the coordinator of the unique event.

Every aspect of “Wham, Bam, Play Slam” is left to chance, including the teaming of the playwrights, directors and actors. Students will arrive at the Black Box Theatre at the University’s Center for Art and Theatre at 7 p.m. on Aug. 24. They introduce themselves to one another – identifying themselves as playwrights, actors or directors – and then take part in theater and improvisation exercises. The playwrights then draw the name of a director and various actors from a hat. The groups introduce themselves and the playwrights spend the rest of the evening working on their scripts.

“The event is great for writers whose creativity is opened by time-pressure,” Abbott said. “Some of our writers get really into the exercise and have even ended up sleeping at the theater because they were writing throughout the night.”

The following day (Aug. 25), the casts will reconvene at the Center for Art & Theatre and rehearsals for the plays scripted by the writers begin. Later than evening, the audience arrives and the curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m. where each play is then performed.

The Aug. 24 event is open to all Georgia Southern students and the Aug. 25 production is free and open to the public. Please visit http://class.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/commarts to view the theatre program’s complete fall schedule.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers 117 degree programs serving more than 20,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. In 2011, the University was named the fourth most popular university in the country by U.S. News & World Report and is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars.  Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.