Overnight Sensations: It's Fun, It's Free, It's Saturday

I've played a drunk, a gay guy and captain of the Titanic in previous years.

OK, theater-goers, it's time for Hollins University's/Mill Mountain Theatre's collaboration on Overnight Sensations, the theatrical extravaganza that sees six short plays to completion in 24 hours.

It's Saturday at MMT's main stage and it's free. You can afford it this time, so there's no excuse to stay away. The last couple of years, we've flirted with sellouts and I'd love to see one this year.

This is not to be confused with Broadway. It's not even to be confused with Showtimers. But it's earnest and it's a hell of a lot of fun for the writers, actors, directors and the audience. You get to see people you know (like me) making asses out of themselves in a public sphere (I do that on a regular basis, but not on stage).

Here's the press release for Overnight Sensations. Hope to see you there:

The Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University and Mill Mountain Theatre (MMT) are partnering once again this summer to stage what has become one of Roanoke’s favorite theatrical traditions. Overnight Sensations, where six short plays are all written and produced in just 24 hours, returns to MMT's Trinkle Stage on Friday and Saturday, July 11 and 12. 

The event begins on Friday night when six playwrights are randomly paired with six directors, who then randomly draw from a hat a variety of writing prompts and a pre-selected cast of local actors. 

Before 8 a.m. Saturday, each playwright must compose a 10-minute play. The playwrights then meet over breakfast with their respective directors to make any last-minute changes. At 11 a.m., the actors arrive (six per cast) and play rehearsals begin. 

Overnight Sensations culminates at 8 p.m. Saturday night with the staging of the plays on MMT’s Trinkle Main Stage. Attendance is free and open to the public. 

This year’s playwrights are Ben R. Williams, Ann G’Feller’s Mason, Lucretia Bell, Dominic Taylor, David Schwingle, and Megan Gogerty. Directors include Ernie Zulia, Art Borreca, Wendy-Marie Martin, Katie Mack, Eva Reid, and Brandon DuMonde. 

The Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University and MMT have presented Overnight Sensations since 2006.