Short plays fly by in ‘Blizzard Rewind’

Six actors, 31 plays and 71 minutes.

It began with announcements instructing the audience on what to do in case of a natural disaster or nuclear holocaust, followed by harassment and demands from the actors.

Six actors then took the stage for their performances, and the stream of laughter from the audience was all but continuous for the rest of the show.

“Blizzard Rewind,” a short play showcase presented by the Bloomington Playwrights Project, opened Thursday with 31 plays celebrating the BPP’s 30th anniversary.

The plays were presented in a random order determined by audience members, who shouted out years between the plays. The show was also timed; the BPP’s goal was 31 plays in 71 minutes. The actors met the goal each night but with only seconds to spare.

Senior David Lim said he found this format of the show enjoyable.

“It was something I had definitely never seen before done with a play,” Lim said. “It was just really interesting to see different genres and different motifs all together. You could still see what the playwright intended for very short plays.”

The show was also very interactive. Audience members shouted out not only years but also encouragement — or insults.

“The louder the people are, the more fun it is,” Director Chad Rabinovitz said. “This is the kind of crowd that if you were in a movie theater, you would hate to be sitting next to, but it’s perfect for us. It’s just been nonstop fun. They’re loud, they’re vocal — it’s designed to be interactive.”

Bloomington High School North student Neena Armitage said one of her favorite plays was “A Bastardized Version of the Muppets Teaches Us How to Vote.”

“I thought it went really well,” Armitage said. “And I was really surprised by how actually funny it was. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all.”