A fast-paced festival will birth 14 news plays in 48 hours

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Tami Brockway Joyce wears a lot of hats – and wigs.

A third-generation islander, Brockway is deeply involved in many island organizations and also frequently performs as one of the Famous Filson Sisters — that’s where the wigs usually come in.

But who knows what might happen this weekend at Open Space for Arts and Community, when you see her portraying any number of roles as part of the acting company of “14/48, The World’s Quickest Theater Festival.”

“One year, I played a 12-year-old on Friday and an 85-year-old on Saturday,” Brockway Joyce said. “The whole thing feels like a fever dream once it’s over. It’s like the whole weekend is electric.“

This marks Brockway-Joyce’s fourth stint as an actor in the festival — the cast of which will also include many familiar faces on Vashon.

Performances of “14/48” will take place at 7 and 9 p.m. shows, on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 27 and 28, at Open Space.

Like most performing arts, the crowd-pleasing festival took a break for two years during the pandemic. But now it’s back, and bigger than ever.

The fast-paced festival convenes an ensemble of 24 actors, seven directors, seven writers, and many talented technicians, designers, and musicians.

This Thursday night, the full company will come together and throw themes into a hat.

A theme will be drawn, and seven writers will then head home to write seven brand-new 10-minute plays overnight. On Friday morning, seven directors will draw which play they will direct, then they’ll draw their cast at random.

Then they’ll get to work: those seven new plays will be rehearsed, designed and scored throughout the day, and performed twice on Friday night. Then the whole process happens all over again, on Saturday. When it is all over, 14 new plays will have been born and performed in just 48 hours.

It’s creative, theatrical madness in an extremely short timeline.

This Herculean task is made possible by an organizing committee of eight, with Anthony Winkler and Mik Kuhlman leading the charge.

Winkler has been involved with the 14/48 Projects — the Seattle originators of the festival — for more than two decades, contributing and helping its founders in a variety of ways.

In 2016, Winkler, living on the island, was approached by Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA) leadership about starting a new play festival on Vashon. He countered with the idea of a 14/48 festival, which would bring VCA and Open Space into collaboration.

Forging new creative partnerships has always been a hallmark of 14/48 festivals. According to Winkler, the artistic leadership at Open Space immediately understood how the “insane” methods employed by the festival fostered collaborative energy among the participants — forging bonds that would lead to future productions of all shapes and sizes.

Winkler credited Open Space co-founder David Godsey for his nurturing of the process from the get-go.

“David’s support is important to recognize because we’re asking a producer to back a process that has nothing to show of what’s going to be on the stage in the end, as everything is created together over the course of the weekend,” Winkler said.

Mik Kuhlman, along with Winkler and Maria Glanz and a few other Vashon artists, were veterans of the Seattle festival who had long wished to see a 14/48 festival take root on Vashon.

“I’ve never found a richer training ground,” said Kuhlman.

Considering the festival’s rallying cry of “Go big or go home,” Vashon audiences should expect the unexpected — but will definitely recognize some familiar faces.

In addition to Brockway Joyce, confirmed actors from Vashon include festival veterans Amy Broomhall, Cate O’Kane, Jeanne Dougherty, Jonathan Kuzma, Kaycie Alanis as well as festival “rookies” Reed Harvey and Brian Palermo.

“I always just remember the energy and the exhaustion of the weekend,” said O’Kane.

Local writers include Amy Drayer, Maria Glanz, Lisa Perretti, and Deb McCabe Pierce.

Vashon directors include Janet McAlpin, Matt Fontaine, Samantha Sherman, and Zenaida Smith.

Returning to the Vashon festival as a director is co-founder and the executive director of the 14/48 Projects, Shawn Belyea.

“14/48 Vashon,” presented by Open Space for Arts & Community with support from Vashon Center for the Arts, will be presented at 7 and 9 p.m. Friday & Saturday, January 27 and 28.

A $50 “Double Deal” ticket covers the admission of two guests to attend both 9 p.m. shows on Jan. 27 and 28, and then stay for the cast party with cash bar.

Purchase this special ticket, or single-admission tickets, at openspacevashon.com.

Juniper Rogneby is an actor and member of the 14/48 Vashon organizing committee.