Friday evening, October 21 at 5:30, Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan will throw out the first metaphoric pitch for The Ike and Julie Arnove PlayOffs at the Bloomington Playwrights Project.
Nine Innings, Nine Playwrights
Nine playwrights will take turns drawing names from a set of nine directors. The directors then draw for three or four actors for each team. The league's governing body then issues this year's theme, a required prop and a line of dialog that must appear in each of the plays.
"It's great that this year we have so many actors," says playwright Rachel Himsel. "After a quick talk with my team to try to understand the strengths of the actors and the director, I'll be burning the midnight oil."
By Saturday morning, the script must be finished and in the hands of the production team. "It's hard work for the director to block a ten-minute play and for the actors to learn the lines, all in one day," adds Himsel.
Putting It On The Field
Saturday night, October 22, those nine plays must be ready. The PlayOffs are very much an active evening. "The audience watches, enjoy a seventh inning stretch, complete with the singing of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game,' and even votes for the winning team and the most valuable player," Himsel says.
There's a second night of the production on Sunday, followed by a reception and announcement of the results of the balloting.