Are you chummy with the written word? Do you crave recognition for your work? Have you just snatched up this copy of the Daily while on the fly to your first class of the day, slinking into your seat a solid six minutes late?
If you've answered yes to all these questions, then you're a perfect contender for the "Tufts Writers Showcase," produced by Pen, Paint & Pretzels' (3Ps) Bare Bodkin.
This spring semester, senior Harrison Stamell will direct this compilation of student-written works, all of which begin with the same apology: "Sorry I'm late." The "Writers Showcase" is the first performance of its type at Tufts, and will include both comedic and dramatic pieces.
The cast will be small, featuring six to eight people and most likely an equal number of men and women. "The small cast … [will] turn poetry and prose into something you can see," Stamell said.
The fun of the "Writers Showcase" for participating writers is seeing their work come to life onstage. "It's bada-- … to say, ‘I wrote a short story, and now I can bring all my friends to see it," Stamell said.
Producer Samantha Kindler, also a senior, echoed the director's sentiments and stressed that the show is a great way for writers to see the fruits of their labors. "It's a great resume builder," Kindler said. "It's a good opportunity for people to write. I know we have other outlets for people to write in … but this is a nice, fun way… [for writers] to see their work actually pay off."
Any and all students are encouraged to try their hand at writing for this fun medley. Student submissions should be capped at four pages, though total liberty is given to spacing and font style, size and color.
Though submissions in script format are welcome, songs, poems, short stories, sonnets and even haikus are all fair game in this eclectic medley on tardiness. Bare Bodkin plans to select approximately 15 to 20 entries for the performance, although that number may change depending on the length of the submissions. "If we get a bunch of haikus, we'll run 12 [haikus]," Stamell said.
Only a small number of students have written for the "Writers Showcase" to date, but Stamell is already excited about the variety in the submissions and hopes to see even more diversity in the future. "We've already got one in first person and one in third person," he said.
"Gentleman Broncos" (2009) fans can breathe easy — Bare Bodkin has no intention of bastardizing the writers' work a la Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement). Quite the opposite is true, in fact. "This show's about … amplifying the voice of the writers," Stamell said.
Though writers will also have control over how their work is represented, Stamell hopes that the message of the texts will be self-evident. "We're going to ask writers how much they want to be involved, and how much freedom they [want to]give us. … In general, the goal is to use the text to get ideas for staging [the performances] with as little talk with the writers as possible," he said. "I think the text should speak for itself."
Because this performance should be virtually free of bells and whistles, the text will definitely dominate the stage. "It's going to be a very low-tech show. There aren't going to be crazy costumes and crazy set pieces, so it's really just focusing on the words," Kindler said.
Stamell encouraged the writers to take risks with their work. "Bold choices translate well to stage," he said. "Be creative. Enjoy being creative. Have fun with it. You have nothing to lose by submitting. Don't be shy."
Submissions are due on Dec. 20; writers can e-mail their submissions to
tuftswritersshowcase@gmail.com. A writer should put his or her name in the subject line, and attach the submission to the e-mail. The writer's name should not appear on the actual document.
It is neither recommended nor cute for writers to purposely miss the deadline just for the sake of saying, "Sorry I'm late."
