the Hyphenate Project

Updated Project Proposal

a workshop of writing, directing and acting

The Hyphenate Experiment will be a theatrical production of eight short plays (under 15 minutes) in a small local theater space. Each piece will be written by one of the eight members and directed by a different member. Actors will also be drawn from the remaining six members (people other than the Writer or Director). In other words, if you participate in this production, you will write a short play, direct someone else's short play, and you will act in probably two or more other plays.

All plays will be connected via some small device (to be decided by the group later) but otherwise their themes, topics and characters will be completely independent. Some ideas for possible devices:

  1. Each play must have a cameo appearance of a character from another play.
  2. Each play must mention (at least in passing) some common theme, be it a spilled cup of coffee, a brown volkswagen beetle, a painting, etc.

(Understand, your play doesn't have to revolve around the common device, it just gives a "call-back" or "through-line" so once the audience picks up the pattern, they will be engaged, looking for where it appears in each subsequent work.)

Participants must be flexible enough to incorporate (write-in) the common thematic element into his or her short. In order to better accommodate this, we will have three "writers' sessions" in which we read our plays (from rough to final draft), gather suggestions from other writers, and otherwise weave the works together. During the final meeting we will assign directors and actors so we can move on to the rehearsal process.

Given the nature of this project, it is important to make sure that set, prop and costume needs are minimal, that casting requires only a small handful of actors, and finally that the pieces are short enough that they can all be conveyed within a maximum of 2 - 2.5 hours. It is also important that each member can write under realistic time deadlines so the entire production doesn't get held up.

The production would happen sometime mid-Summer, giving us three or four months to get through the entire process. Some small general costs (advertising, theater rental, etc.) would be shared by the members but the chosen venue will be small enough to guarantee that these costs would be minimal (no more than $100 or maybe $200). A budget will be discussed and approved by the members during one of the early writing workshops.

The following is a rough estimate of what the schedule might be:

Last week of April
Initial meeting. Cancelled. (We didn't get people together on time and our priority is meeting a late-July production deadline.)
Third week of May
First "Writers' Meeting". We read our first drafts to the group. Other group members may offer suggestions or point out problems. Really this is just an opportunity to see where everyone else is. In some cases we may find clever ways in which some of the shorts may weave themselves together in subtle ways.
First week of June
Second "Writers' Meeting". Once again we read our works, see how things have changed. We might even do "staged readings" of the plays (pre-assigning parts a few days before) so we can hear how they are going to sound.Here is where we assign directors (probably by drawing names from a hat) and actors. Note that in some cases the writers will have to go back and edit their works slightly to accommodate the casting decisions. (For example, you might have to change a character's gender to make things work.)
Third week of June
Final "Writers' Meeting". This is where we're bringing in our final drafts. Some small modifications may be done after this, but really here is where the actors and director will set up a rehearsal schedule.
Late June - Mid July
Directors set their own rehearsal schedules with the actors, develop and prepare the shorts.
Late July
Full rehearsals, final production.

We're not shooting for anything elaborate or expensive.. just enough to do an acceptable amount of advertising and rent the space, hire a lighting technician (if necessary), etc. Part of this learning experience is to discover just how cheaply a decent production can run.

In order to succeed, participants need to understand and follow a few basic rules:

  1. Check your ego at the door. This is a learning experience. The short you end up directing may not be an Obie Award candidate. The part you act in may be less than inspired. Your Director will likely be inexperienced and uncertain. The Director of your short play may not agree with your "vision" of the work. Your acting role may be small. Don't forget that others will be forgiving if this is your first writing or directing experience. Our goal is to learn from this production and to have fun.
  2. Commitment to the project and the process is paramount! If anyone pulls out of the productions, it could have catastrophic effects. This is especially the case because of the interconnected aspect of things. Similarly you must be committed to delivery your writing on time. There is no room here for "writer's block". You must deliver something on time.
  3. Flexibility is important. The play you write may need massive re-writes during the final session if available casting requires you change a male role to female. We will try to be as accommodating as possible, but remember that you can't set things in stone until the end of the writing cycle. The more flexible you are, the more likely the project is to succeed.
  4. Respect your roles. Once you have written your play, you have no right to dictate its interpretation to the Director. You may make some suggestions, but it's up to the Director to make any final decisions. Similarly, as Director you have no right to modify or cut the material you've been given. You may point out a problem to the Writer, who may be willing to make a couple edits, but be ready to work with what you've been given.
  5. There are no exceptions to these rules! Everyone must write. Everyone must direct. Everyone must act. Everyone must do his or her part to help pull off the production. Stubbornness will kill us. Remember, this is about having fun and being willing to do things you've never done before.

These "rules" may sound inflexible or draconian, but they exist to help us insure the production can be seen through to the end. We are committed and promise to do our best to pull off a quality production. With your help, we've got an opportunity to have a load of fun.

If you have any further questions, please contact Murray Todd Williams or Hans Hoffman.