On a Friday night in early December, five writers were given a prompt and told to get to work. Over the course of the next 24 hours, a team of actors, directors, and stage techs also got to work to produce five brand new plays.
Each play was required to follow the theme “Jolly Christmas,” and include the line, “Santa lights the menorah,” and a roll of wrapping paper as a prop. The outcomes varied significantly and watching the array of performances was highly entertaining.
The creativity that was shown through this project was inspiring. Each play was so different; it was interesting to see what each team would come up with given the same restrictions. The variety also allowed for the resulting plays to offer something for everybody.
Some feedback for future events would be to announce the title of each play before starting. There was an announcer at the beginning of the show, but I would’ve preferred if the emcee would’ve come out in between each play. This would also help the awkwardness of the set changes in the dark. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed the show and am looking forward to the next edition.
The team at Reno Little Theater wants to host more events like the One Day Play Festival, and your support would help them. Visit www.renolittletheater.org to keep up with events and learn more.
Play 1: The Season of Giving
- Written by Ryan Costello
- Directed by Doug Carreon
- Stage Manager: Jayna Orchard
- Setting: a living room, Christmas morning
Cast
- Tara Rispin as Megan
- Amy Gianos as Shelly
- Roni Ellison as Caitlin
- Kirk Gardner as Mika
Play 2: Elf’s Trying to Make a Play for Santa
- Written by Angie Green
- Directed by Melina Hollinger
- Stage Manager: Jonothon Gastelo
- Setting: North Pole, present day
Cast
- Andrew Nielson as Elfo
- John Snelgrove as Noot
- Madeline Bennett as Lollipop
Play 3: Let It Snow
- Written by Lyric Burt and Taylor Wilson
- Directed by James Mardock
- Stage Manager: Jenna Talbott
- Setting: a mental health facility, Christmas Eve
Cast
- Jeff Chamberlin as Chuck
- Regg Davidson as Orderly/Dave
- Emilie Meyer as Christina
- Judy Davis Rounds as Sally
- La Ronda Etheridge as Anita Laurie
Play 4: Jolly Holliday
- Written by Pan Pantoja
- Directed by Keith Roberts
- Stage Manager: Carver Goldstein
- Setting: a nondescript black room
Cast
- Bob Ives as Mr. Holliday
- Daniel Shaver as Jolly
- Darcy Lenardson as Santa Clause
Play 5: The Christmas Crowd
- Written by Anna Christine
- Directed by Ryan Corrigan
- Stage Manager: Katie Proctor
- Setting: a sidewalk, present day
Cast
- Brittany Carpenter as Supporting Actor
- Kathy Welch as Homeless Woman
- Ian Sorenson as Lead Actor
- Tobie Barton as Assistant
- Becca Schuster as Anxious Writer
