International ‘Play-in-a-Day’ workshop comes to WMPAC Oct. 2
EBS STAFF
The Warren Miller Performing Arts Center is launching another new creative project on Oct. 2, but needs the Big Sky community’s involvement to make it a success.
The free Story Bridge workshop is called “Play-in-a-Day” and will weave the stories of locals into a full play, written, rehearsed and performed within 12 hours.
With the support of the Big Sky Community Theatre program and the Lone Peak High School Thespian Society, John Zirkle, WMPAC executive director, stresses that participating does not require acting or even getting on stage—unless you want to. The play will be about Big Sky and the project requires Big Sky stories; one way to contribute is to share yours.
“We just want people to come for the full day and commit to the process,” Zirkle said, adding that food and refreshments will be provided.
Developed by Dr. Richard Geer with a team of artists, scholars and scientists at Community Performance International (CPI), Story Bridge uses true personal stories and theater to foster dialogue and relationship-building, and provide a transformative experience for individuals and communities.
An artist, philosopher and educator, Geer has directed more than 40 Story Bridge plays and other workshops around the world. His “Play-in-a-Day” project was recently featured on the Planet Money podcast.
Greer will be in Big Sky to facilitate the workshop. How he’s going turn local stories into a cohesive eight-scene play in a single day, is “the rabbit Geer is going to pull out of his hat,” Zirkle said.
Zirkle is as passionate about engaging the community with performing arts opportunities as he is about the professional productions he brings to the WMPAC stage during the winter season.
“WMPAC has shown we can do a lot of things in Big Sky, but this is a way to tell our own story in a really beautiful way—it’s a chance to make something in Big Sky about Big Sky. Locally grown stories told on stage have an immense capacity to change people’s lives.”
Zirkle is looking to have 25-35 participants in the workshop, which will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2 at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center. The workshop performance of the play will begin at 7 p.m., in the hope to put on a more developed production of the play in November.
Email WMPAC Executive Director John Zirkle at john@warrenmillerpac.org to get involved. Visit warrenmillerpac.org for more information.
