Wichita theater company will stage 26 super short plays — in no particular order
Experimental Theatre Co. will present a "chaotic" show on September 5 & 6 at Studio School.
Members of Experimental Theatre Co. want to turn your preconceived notions about theater upside-down.
The company, which goes by ETC for short, is modeled after Chicago’s Neo-Futurist Theater and its long-running show “The Infinite Wrench.” Here's the approach: Within the course of an hour, the ensemble stages 30 two-minute plays, the order of which is determined by audience members, who receive a numbered “menu” when they arrive. After a performer yells “curtain,” the audience “orders” the next play by calling out a number. Members of the ensemble respond to the first number they hear and proceed accordingly.
“It’s chaotic, it’s fast, and there’s a wide array of genres,” said Brett McGlothern, co-producer of ETC. “We can have you laughing one moment and then go into a sad monologue. It’s a roller-coaster for sure.”
But while ETC shows may be “chaotic,” they’re not improvised. Members of the ensemble meet for weekly writing sessions, and each play is written, directed, and performed by the cast. Last year’s production included puppetry and a “shadow play.”
The company’s origins trace back to a student group at Emporia State called PANTS (an acronym for Pantomime and Nontraditional Theatre Society). After graduating, some alumni continued performing under the same name, both in Kansas City and Wichita. Since then, the Wichita contingent has auditioned new members — including McGlothern, who first performed with PANTS in 2021. They decided to choose a new name for their nonprofit theater company two years ago, in part to differentiate themselves from the other groups.
This year, ETC is switching up the format. Its next show “[et cetera]: A Theatre Lab” will be presented in two parts: Act 1 is 20 plays in 40 minutes, followed by an intermission. Act 2 consists of six plays of slightly longer duration — about five minutes apiece.
ETC will present “[et cetera]” twice: 8 p.m. September 5 and 6, at Studio School, 751 George Washington Blvd. The building, now home to artist studios, once housed Wichita’s Metro Boulevard Alternative High School. The theater is in the former gym, and ETC members conduct their weekly writing meetups in the old home economics classroom.
The “[et cetera]” cast is composed of ETC co-producer Kinsey McDaniel, Jill Herbert, Mia Krebs, Isaac Roads, Baylee Braswell, Keysa McMillan, Caleb Manuel, and Anna Potter.
“It’s a bunch of weirdos that like to come together and write fun plays and put them on for the Wichita community,” McGlothern said.
Advance tickets cost $15 through August 22, after which they increase to $20.
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