Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Folks Speak Out about I.T.!!

December 2008's Instant Theatre was a year-end bash to end all years...
Does that make any sense?!
Whatever.

13 Playwrights.
6 Actors.
Prizes, wine, cupcakes.

It was- truthfully- A BLAST!!

Here's some video. Check it out for yourself...


Thursday, December 11, 2008

HOW F***ed ARE WE?!

(and happy holidays from your Instant Theatre hosts, Chris & Aaron!)

How F***ed Are We?! is December's I.T. theme!!

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17th @ Chicago Dramatists at 8pm.

Dude, this is totally F'ed UP!
We are F***ed.
Don't you dare F*** me over!!

Unemployed?
Divorced?
Slipped on the ice?
Didn't win the Lotto?
Denied promotion?

We've all been F***ed with, F***ed up, or some form of F***ed.
And, as my 8th grade religion teacher used to say, some of us have been F***ed six ways from Sunday...

Well, she didn't say the F***ed part- just the six ways from Sunday part. Anyway, come out and watch our playwrights F***!

I mean, let's admit it, there's nothing better than watching someone ELSE get F***ed. You know what I mean- you dirty devil, you...

And as a special holiday bonus: a prize for most inventive scene. Winner will be determined by the audience. Or by Chris and Aaron. Probably by Chris and Aaron. And also the audience, if they agree with Chris and Aaron.

REMEMBER: it's a FREE hour of theatre- that's right- NO charge!

Instant Theatre
Chicago Dramatists
1105 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622

Wednesday, December 17th
Participating writers @ 7pm
Audience @ 8pm.
Everybody applauds @ 9pm.

Maximum Impact, Minimum Prep

Friday, November 14, 2008

FISH out of WATER!!


Fish Out of Water is November's I.T. theme!!

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19th @ Chicago Dramatists at 8pm.

And what a theme it is! So many opportunities to create 2-3 minutes of genius on stage!!

Is it the new kid at school?
A president making his/her first major decision?
Or the first fish that pulled itself onto land and sprouted two legs and started walking around and eventually evolved into US?!? OMG!!
So many possibilities!!

Come experience a fish out of water. It may be uncomfortable, or it may be totally comfortable- depending on how far out of the water that fish is...

REMEMBER: it's a FREE hour of theatre- that's right- NO charge!

Instant Theatre
Chicago Dramatists
1105 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622

Wednesday, November 19th
Participating writers @ 7pm
Audience @ 8pm.
Everybody applauds @ 9pm.

Maximum Impact, Minimum Prep

Thursday, October 16, 2008

SCARE TACTICS!!

If some guy asks you to go for a romantic moonlit walk on this path... DON'T GO!!

SCARE TACTICS is October's I.T. theme!!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22nd @ 8pm

SCARE some people into doing what they don't want to do. Is there any other way...?

Maybe you put on some scary makeup and lower the lights...
Or maybe you threaten lives...
Or you swear to reveal that deep dark secret...
Or you predict the next terrorist attack...

Who knows? Only our playwrights do!!

Come out and watch some folks get SCARED!!!

You'll crap your PANTS as you watch theatre like you've never seen it- FAST and FURIOUS!!!

REMEMBER: it's a FREE hour of theatre- that's right- NO charge!

Instant Theatre
Chicago Dramatists
1105 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622

Wednesday, October 22nd
Participating writers @ 7pm
Audience @ 8pm.
Everybody applauds @ 9pm.

Maximum Impact, Minimum Prep

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER!!

Whoa, there- don't drop that kid, big guy..."In the Name of the Father" is September's I.T. theme!!

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th @8pm

Could it be religious?
"In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit..."
Are we talking about our Founding Fathers?
"Four score and seven years..."
The Godfather of Soul?
"HAH!!"
What if someone was hailed as the father of abstract art when all he was doing was throwing out the garbage?
"Jackson Pollock was not a garbage man, I tells ya!!"

Oh, SO many POSSIBILITIES!!
Join us and watch our playwrights work out their father issues!!

REMEMBER: it's a FREE hour of theatre- that's right- NO charge!

Instant Theatre
Chicago Dramatists
1105 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622

Monday, September 29th
Participating writers @ 7pm
Audience @ 8pm.
Everybody applauds @ 9pm.

Maximum Impact, Minimum Prep

Saturday, August 23, 2008

DON'T BET ON IT in August!!

"Don't Bet On It" is August's Instant Theatre theme!!!


WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27th @ 8pm

Sometimes your horse makes it across the finish line...
And sometimes the horse falls flat on its ass- taking you down with it.

The moral being: If you think the outcome is certain- DON'T BET ON IT!!!!

What if the laws of gravity suddenly failed?
What if your girlfriend said no when you dropped to one knee?
What if that Fed-Ex package simply did not arrive in the 24 hours promised?
What if you woke up transformed into a cockroach?

Our playwrights will show us the rug being pulled out from under all sorts of crazy stuff. So come check it out!!

REMEMBER: it's a FREE hour of theatre- that's right- NO charge!

Instant Theatre
Chicago Dramatists
1105 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622

Wednesday, August 27th
Participating writers @ 7pm
Audience @ 8pm.
Everybody applauds @ 9pm.

Maximum Impact, Minimum Prep

Monday, July 28, 2008

SPREAD THE WEALTH in JULY!!!

"Spread the Wealth" is July's Instant Theatre theme!!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30th @ 8pm

And, of course, "spread the wealth" can mean a lot of things.
That's why you gotta come out and check out Instant Theatre this Wednesday!!

What does "Spread the Wealth" mean to you?
A wise man sharing his knowledge and experience with an ignorant fool?
A radical redistribution of resources as a result of violent revolution?
The simple act of breaking bread?

Our playwrights are going to spread their talent ALL over the stage in a wealth of tomfoolery- so come check it out!!

REMEMBER: it's a FREE hour of theatre- that's right- NO charge!

Instant Theatre
Chicago Dramatists
1105 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622

Wednesday, July 30th
Participating writers @ 7pm
Audience @ 8pm.
Everybody applauds @ 9pm.

Maximum Impact, Minimum Prep

Friday, June 20, 2008

ON THE EDGE in JUNE!!

Yes... "On The Edge" is June's Instant Theatre theme!!!!



WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25th @ 8pm (just on the edge of 7:59pm)

On The Edge of what, you might ask?!

We'll whatever it is- I know I teeter on it daily...

Maybe it's On The Edge of:
a cliff?
a break-up?
a suicide attempt?
a diving platform...?

Come watch our playwrights and actors rock back-and-forth, loose their balance and take a plunge into the unknown!!

REMEMBER: it's a FREE hour of theatre- that's right- NO charge!
And with today's inflated gas prices, you can't beat that!

Instant Theatre
Chicago Dramatists
1105 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622

Wednesday, June 25th
Participating writers @ 7pm
Audience @ 8pm.
Everybody applauds @ 9pm.

Maximum Impact, Minimum Prep

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

April's "Chicken or Egg" Instant Theatre

.
.
.
WHICH CAME FIRST???





That's right. April's Instant Theatre asks our playwrights to tackle the age old question: Which came first...?

Which came first?
Islamic Extremism or Disastrous American Foreign Policy??

WHO KNOWS????
Maybe a Chicago playwright??

Quandaries that have baffled philosophers, politicians, scholars, the religious and our parents will be answered at Chicago Dramatists this Monday, April 28th at 8pm!!

So come check us out! See if we provide any valuable answers... We may surprise you...

Instant Theatre
Chicago Dramatists
1105 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622

Monday, April 28th
Participating writers @ 7pm
Audience @ 8pm.
Everybody applauds @ 9pm.

Maximum Impact, Minimum Prep

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Instant Theatre at the MCA!!! It's Cavernous!

That's right- this Tuesday, March 18th, we're at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Performing at 6:30pm in the 30 foot high, wide open, echoey space that is Puck's Cafe!!

This month's scenes are going to embrace this wide open challenge and take place in some sort of cavernous space- there hence our theme:

Cavernous Instant Theatre!!!!!!!!

A warehouse?
The great outdoors?
A cavern?
Airplane hanger?
Hmmm... perhaps... you'll have to come and see for yourself.

And there's an added challenge to all our playwrights...
In the spirit of being at the MCA, all scenes must include a prop that has been built from scratch.

NICE, right?!?
Come check us out- remember dates and times have changed a bit...

MCA
Tuesday, March 18th
Participating writers @ 5:30pm
Audience @ 6:30pm.
Everybody applauds @ 7:30pm.

Maximum Impact, Minimum Prep

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Your Comments on The Morning After

Your head is pounding. You're not quite sure where you are. You scrape the crust out of your eyes and look around. You can't believe what you're seeing:

  • A conniving divorce lawyer
  • Meta-theatrical meditations on minutiae
  • The demise of Facebook
  • The end of paper
  • Murderous twins
  • Showers of paper clips in a retirement home
  • An upright lizard
  • Dead rock-n-roll stars
  • A blackmail scheme
You're terrified for a moment. Have you been kidnapped? Drugged? Undergone rendition to a foreign land?

No. It all comes back to you. Thank God. You just spent the night at Instant Theatre.

The floor is open. Post your comments, thoughts, and observations on tonights Instant Theatre.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

February, The Morning After & Paperclips


What do February, "The Morning After" & Paperclips all have in common?

Well, that's easy- Instant Theatre of course!!

Show up on Wednesday the 20th to get an answer to this and other life altering questions!!

Seriously.
We'll answer them.
No joke.

This month's writers are:
Paul Molton
Tyla Abercrombie
Conrad Lawrence
Michael Kelly
Wendy Schmidt
Trina Kakacek
Howard Timms
Nancy Schaefer
Keely Flynn
Bob Fisher

Instant Theatre
Chicago Dramatists
1105 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622

Wednesday, February 20th
Participating writers @ 7pm
Audience @ 8pm.
Everybody applauds @ 9pm.

Maximum Impact, Minimum Prep

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Your thoughts on TRANSFORMATION!!


Post away folks!!

Is there an image from tonight's plays on your mind?
For me, it was the park bench, and the kitty folded from a newspaper...

What was the most metaphorical transformation?
Loved the stiletto heel...

Were there any particular words that stuck with you?
"fluffy lightening" (used to describe a dog)

Was there something that left you thinking, "WHAAAAAAAA?!" Tell us about it.

Do you want to know who wrote what play? Ask us.

Playwrights: did your scene get an unexpected reaction? Why?
Did you learn anything valuable as a writer tonight?


Let's hear what you've got to say about tonight's Instant Theatre...

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Next Instant: January 30th at 8pm

Instant Theater
January 30th
Actors and Writers @ 7pm
Audience @ 8pm
Applause @ 9pm

Chicago Dramatists
1105 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622


This month's theme is... TRANSFORMATION

The writer's task: Your scene must include an everyday object that during the course of the scene is transformed into another object.

For example: Your scene opens with a person on a cell phone. During the course of the scene the cell phone turns into an avenging alien being taking revenge for an ancient wrong. Or maybe it turns into a mop.

Want some inspiration?
- How's this for some theatrical transformation?