Mad Dash Participant Info Page

Date: March 28, 2026 | 7:30pm
Venue: 612 Fillmore Ave. Buffalo

What is It, Briefly: A one-day short play festival in which teams of one writer, one director, and at least one actor write, rehearse, and perform a play within 24 hours. There is no unified theme, however plays will have to incorporate one surprise prompt into their scripts. Performances will be held at Torn Space Theater.

How to Sign Up (officially!): Please follow the link below to participate – you can sign up as a team or as an individual interested in writing, acting, or directing. Space is limited & sign-ups are first-come, first-served!

 

Sign-Up for the Mad Dash

 

Questions/Info Contact:

Marisa Caruso | TST Managing Director | info@tornspacetheater.com | 845-401-8681

Basic Schedule:

  • Friday March 27, 2026
    • 7:30pm – Google Meeting for group assignment, prompts and discussion (you will receive meeting link with sign-up)
      • If anyone does not have access to a computer or Google Meet, let Marisa (and your team if you have one) know. We will figure out a way to connect.
    • 8:00pm – 9:00am – (or whenever the meeting ends until whenever writer completes script) Script writing time!
  • Saturday March 28, 2026
    • 9:00am – Scripts due to directors/actors in your group (send whenever the script is complete and also send to organizer Marisa Caruso.)
    • 9:00am – 6:00pm – Directors and actors rehearse, memorize, gather any props/costumes needed, and make your way to Torn Space Theater.
      • Any simple tech needs should be communicated to Marisa at some point during this time.
    • 6:00pm – Everyone on-site at Torn Space Theater to prepare for the performance, run tech cues and find out show order
    • 7:00pm – Doors open for guest viewers
    • 7:30pm – Show time! And then celebration to follow
  •  

Location:

  • Torn Space Theater – 612 Fillmore Ave. Buffalo, NY 14212 

Rules:

  • No AI use for script writing – this defeats the point! Save AI for non-creative work.
  • Plays are limited to 10 minutes or less (writers, read drafts aloud and account for action/movement)
  • Plays must include the surprise prompt to be announced at the March 27 meeting
  • Scripts are due to team actors/director & Marisa by 9am 3/28
  • Limited tech is available, keep scripts as simple as possible – with limitation comes creativity!
  • Good:
        • Lights Up/Lights Down & Blackouts
        • 1 or 2 sound cues – sound files must be emailed by 5pm on 3/28
        • A few chairs
        • Anything the cast/director can set-up by themselves within 5 minutes
  • Bad:
      • Set pieces or anything that requires more than 5 minutes to set-up
      • 3+ sound cues
      • Lighting beyond on/off
  • Each team must have a Primary Contact to be the point person for communications with event organizer Marisa Caruso

Detailed Info: 

    • Initial Meeting, Writing Prompts & Group Assignments
      • 7:30pm Friday, March 27 via Google Meet 
        • Participants connect for quick team introductions
        • Solo participants meet their randomly assigned teams
        • The mystery prompt that must be incorporated into scripts is revealed!
        • Following the big group meeting, teams will be placed in break-out groups for team discussions 
          • All teams must have a Primary Contact to coordinate communication with the event organizer (Marisa)
          • In these discussions, writers will get a quick sense of who they are writing for, and directors/actors will discuss schedules for the following day. 
          • Other good things to chat about might be- 
            • Exchange contact info for script exchange (emails) and communication throughout the day (cell #s)
            • Where a good rehearsal location might be (someone’s home, a public park, or at Torn Space (time/space limited & must be coordinated with Marisa)
            • How quickly the actors can memorize lines (maybe avoid writing long monologues for an actor that has trouble memorizing)
            • A quick brainstorm chat about the prompt and what it means to folks in the group
            • Interesting props/costumes the team might have to use
    • Writing
      • Writers will have all night to write a script that should last no more than 10 minutes. There is no script length minimum. The script must be sent to directors and actors by 9am Sat. 3/28
    • Rehearsal
      • Directors and actors will be responsible for scheduling rehearsal and memorization time on Saturday, and for gathering props/costumes amongst themselves. They can also feel free to reach out to the organizer/other teams to see if anyone else has something that they are looking for, such as an antique doll or a tennis racket. You never know!
      • The goal is to be memorized
    • Tech Communication
      • The Primary Contact of each group should touch base with the organizer Marisa Caruso before 6pm on 3/28 to talk about or meet in person to go over any lighting or sound needs. These capabilities will be extremely limited, but we’ll do the best we can to achieve basic effects!
    • Tech Rehearsal
      • 6pm at Torn Space Theater – 612 Fillmore Ave. Buffalo, NY 14212
      • Everyone should be on-site by this time to review show order and do a quick Q2Q
      • Doors open at 7:00pm.
    • Performance
      • 7:30pm Start (exactly 24 hours after the initial meeting) and go until we are done, hopefully about 2 hours including intermission. Feel free to hang out and celebrate afterwards, the Mickiewicz Bar has delicious offerings!

 

Even More Info in Case It’s Helpful:

    • You should plan to make yourself available all day Saturday March 28 if you are an actor/director, it won’t work if you have a complicated schedule of conflicts to work around and you may sabotage your own piece!
  • Suggested Schedule:
        • 7:30pm Saturday – Intro meeting, during group break out sessions you might discuss:
          • Discussion of prop prompt
          • Actor abilities for memorization, physical abilities or limitations, special skills or training for writer to know a bit about who they’re writing for
          • Who has a printer, who can use a phone/tablet, who needs help printing script
          • Schedules for the following day
          • Where to rehearse based on actor/director locations – a home, a public park, etc
        • Between Friday evening and Saturday 9:00am – directors receive scripts via email from writers & forward to actors, everyone read through on their own
        • 9:30am Saturday – Schedule a virtual meeting with actors and directors (if writers are free, maybe they want to join in too, or anticipate getting questions from group about the piece). This meeting could include:
          • Read-through of the script
          • Discussion of character background & choices
          • Discussion of costumes/make-up, props, any special effects/tech elements – look through images in stock
            • How to procure said items from personal or organizer stock
        • 10:00am – Procure items, get ready for the day by packing a lunch, etc. start memorizing lines, get to the rehearsal space
        • 11:00am – Meet in person for rehearsal
        • 1:00pm – Break for food and memorization
        • 2:00pm – More rehearsal
        • 4:00pm – Plan how actors will get on & offstage, and bows at the end of the scene, then take a break. Directors touch base regarding tech if you haven’t already earlier in the day
        • 5:00pm – Grab a bite to eat, make way to Torn Space.
        • 6:00pm – Get into costume, prep for performance, check performance order, tech cue run-through, breathe. Check in with Marisa if you want someone in the audience on book, or decide whether to perform with script or off-book entirely.
        • 7:30pm – Show time!
  • Actors should aim for complete memorization, but let Marisa know if you need someone on book as back up, or if you’ll simply hold a script for the performances.
  • Writers: Scenes should last 10 minutes or less, ideally between 5-10 minutes. Try reading the dialogue aloud for timing, and remember that dialogue includes pauses for thought and action. If your actor has limited memorization skills, maybe avoid large paragraphs of text, though it’s better to have quality ideas with script in hand than memorized lower quality dialogue.
  • Groups will be individually responsible for printing any scripts if needed, and for finding rehearsal space. Organizers will do their best to place people that live in similar areas together so travel isn’t too difficult. 
  • We recommend that groups do one read-through & blocking rehearsal early in the day, break for lunch and memorization and prop/costume gathering, then another long rehearsal in the afternoon to keep running through the scene until it is as familiar as possible until heading to Torn Space.
  • We’ll get video of the event so you can share it with friends/family who can’t be there in person. 🙂

How to Sign Up (officially!): Please follow the link to participate https://forms.gle/SBYY1fYdHy3mNAHB9 

Hope to see you there!