Just like that, this semester’s Studio Series project is on its feet in time for midterms!

“Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes,” written by Greg Allen and directed by David Struckman, is opening Sunday, March 8th at 2:30pm, with more performances Monday, March 9th and Tuesday, March 10th at 7:30pm. All performances will be located in Craig Hall’s Balcony Theatre and have free admission.

This is truly a show unlike any other. Struckman describes it as not “about one specific thing, such as a normal play where there is an over-arching theme or message to it. It’s 30 neo-futurist plays by Greg Allen that touch on many topics and styles such as love, war, death, comedy, drama, political, and absurdist. I believe everyone will get something different out of it, especially since not one show is going to be the exact same.”

So, how does a show like this work? The answer is with audience participation!

As shown in the “Too Much Light” rehearsal photo, a clothesline will be hung across the stage with thirty numbers clothespinned to it. Each number represents a different play with a unique story and characters. Once the show is started, audience members will shout out the numbers of the plays they want to see, and the performers will pull down the numbers and act out them out. The goal for the performers is to finish all 30 plays within a 60 minute time frame. If they succeed, the audience will get a special prize for the help.

This is going to be a fast-paced show, and the performers could not be more excited for it. Cast member Jeremy Ashely described it as “perverse,” “unpredictable,” and “unique,” with his favorite part of the show process having been “watching everyone crack up at the hilarity while I maintain a stone face.” When asked how he felt about not knowing the order of the skits until the performance starts, he said, “It’s certainly something… It does get the adrenaline pumping waiting to see if your number gets called. It adds to our performances, though.”

Cast member DeLaney Henley described letting the audience choose what’s next as “EXTREMELY nerve-wracking, but we’re all planning on using that nervous and uncertain energy to fuel the work, as well as to keep the audience engaged and on their toes. Audience participation can be scary for both the performer and the viewer, but I promise that in this show, the audience participation is fun, easy, and exciting to watch.”

Come out and support this hilarious piece of student work next Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. The event’s Facebook page can be found here https://www.facebook.com/events/623907521505342/. Break a leg, cast!