Street Theater

Bricolage makes unique use of city buses in its annual fundraiser.

Photo courtesy of Bricolage Production Company

“All the road’s a stage.” OK, so maybe that’s not exactly how William Shakespeare’s famous quote goes, but it is one anachronism that Pittsburgh’s Bricolage Theatre has taken to heart with its unique 24-hour theater event, Bricolage Urban Scrawl (B.U.S.).

The event, which doubles as the company’s annual fundraiser (and takes place Feb. 25 this year), brings together local playwrights as well as other members of the theater community with a unique task.

"We challenge six playwrights to write 10-minute plays that are inspired by a 90-minute ride on a city bus," explains Tami Dixon, producing artistic director at Bricolage. "This is our seventh year. It's such an intense 24 hours because the show must go on—there's no stopping for anything."

Of all things, though, why a city bus?

"Pittsburgh is such a different, eclectic city,” she says. “We thought, Why not send them out into the city?”

The folks at Bricolage formed the idea for B.U.S. after being involved with (and pulling from) 24-hour theater events around the world, including one in Ireland that required playwrights to ride a train across the entire length of the country.

And while the event’s name originated from the vehicle of choice, the playwrights’ brief 90-minute sojourns are only one part of the incredibly packed 24 hours. After all, it takes more than just scripts to produce a play.

Actors, directors and many others (all of whom are volunteers) have a hand in B.U.S., and their roles are just as unique as the rest of the experience. For example, actors are brought in to audition before the scripts are written, meaning they have nothing to read for the writers and directors. Instead of reciting lines, they must answer a trio of questions about themselves that change every year based on the event’s theme.

As one might expect, this unique audition process has yielded even more unique auditions, such as one actor rehashing how he managed to bribe his way out of Mexican prison.

“This gives us a glimpse into who they are as human beings, not just as actors," says Dixon.

This year, a small group of audience members will have the chance to catch that glimpse through the VIP backstage pass, which gives a small group of patrons a behind-the-scenes look at the audition process as well as access to the final product.

After auditions, the 24 actors are assigned to one of the six plays in what Dixon describes as “an NFL-style draft”—complete with haggling and trading of actors. Once rosters are set, the actors and directors are sent home, and the playwrights are given the night to generate their scripts. Rehearsals are held the next day at a variety of locations before the show takes place that night.

To recap, that’s inception, writing, auditions, actor selection and performance for six plays … in just about one day’s time—but what kind of results does that process produce?

There’s really no single answer. Those involved with B.U.S. have seen it all, says Dixon.

"It means a lot to us that the artists come out and do this," she says. "The energy it creates in our space really feeds the rest of the year. It's palpable, everything that goes into a play that happens in a month, happens in a day for this event. It's such a relief for the actors and writers and directs when it's done. It really feeds you for days."

(Bricolage Prouction Co., 937 Liberty Ave., Strip District. Feb. 24-25: Fri., 7 p.m., VIP event; Sat., 7:30 p.m. VIP tickets for both nights, $125; Saturday event admission only, $100. Info: 412/471-0999, webbricolage.org)