Short and snappy
Remarkables Theatre will bring their Pint-Sized Plays to the Crown next week. First happening in Tenby, Wales in 2008, the premier international playwriting competition features short-format theatre performed in pubs featuring a small cast and using minimal set, props and tech support.
Greg Dorn at Remarkables Theatre will be directing one of this year's shows and has been involved in Pint-Sized Plays for more than ten years now. He explains the beauty of these shows is that each show is very different, so you get a good bit of variety.
"At the end you get to vote for which one you liked best - which one you think is the best written as it's a writing competition, technically," Dorn says.
The Remarkables Theatre committee selected ten plays, which were submitted from all over the world, to be included this year. The directors and performers don't know who has written the plays until the end - sometimes it's someone they know but often it's not.
"I'm directing one and there's different directors for each one, so you get a variety of directors, therefore it gives you something different for each play. That's why it's important to look at the writing as sometimes directors do things differently."
Dorn explains that directing this year is a different challenge than acting, which he has done in the past.
"When you're acting, your main focus is getting your lines down and then work out how you're going to move around the stage and what your character is doing. When you're directing, you're looking at the whole thing and then trying to interpret what is basically a blank script."
At the show, the MC will introduce each play and give you a bit of background to what's happening. You can expect variety and a pretty fast pace with a range of posibilities.
"It's just a really fun evening out. You come with your friends and you can discuss different plays, and after each one, you have a little card - you keep adjusting your marks. Some of the plays will catch you by surprise."
Pint-Sized Plays will be at The Crown on Wednesday, 6 May and Thursday, 7 May from 7pm - 9.30pm. Tickets and more information can be found at remarkablestheatre.co.nz
