Bloomington Playwrights Project is offering unlimited online access to 25 plays and musicals until Sept. 1 if you make a one-time donation of any amount to its BPPFLIX program.
Some of the plays and musicals available include “Kissing Frogs,” “The Jedi Handbook” and “Rap Guide to Culture.” The most recent show on the list is “The Enlightenment of Percival Von Schmootz,” which ran Jan. 24-Feb. 8. The money from BPPFLIX will go to support BPP artists and staff and help to prepare for future shows during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We're doing our absolute best to continue paying our employees as long as we can and as much as we can,” Managing Director Brad Schiesser said. “We're hoping that we can weather the storm.”
The show “The Absentee” was scheduled to open at the end of March. It has been rescheduled tentatively for May 1-9.
To donate, go to BPP’s website and click the donate button midway down the page, which links to a PayPal site. After PayPal notifies BPP of your donation, you will be emailed a password within 24 hours. Click the BPPFLIX link at the top of BPP’s website, type in your password to gain unlimited access to the 25 shows.
Schiesser said the plays were picked based on the quality of the recording and whether BPP had permission from the playwright to share the archival recording. This is the first time BPP has shared recorded shows online.
Schiesser said BPP puts on new plays that typically aren’t owned by a larger production company, which means BPP just needs the playwright's permission to post the recordings.
“We've been taking archival video of plays for about a decade now or maybe even more,” Schiesser said.
The oldest show on the list is “Artifice,” which ran in 2010.
Producing Artistic Director Chad Rabinovitz said BPP created BPPFLIX to raise money and to help keep people entertained while they are in quarantine.
“Now is clearly a time when people are going to rely on entertainment more than ever,” Rabinovitz said.
Rabinovitz said entertainment will be an important part of economic recovery when the outbreak dies down becauseshows create reasons for people to leave the house, go out to eat and spend money.
“The arts are going to be a major part and a leader in that economic rebuilding,” Rabinovitz said. “We're just planning ahead for the rebuilding process.”
Rabinovitz said BPP is proud of putting BPPFLIX together in such a short time.
“Very few theaters in the country could do what we're doing,” Rabinovitz said.
