DIY Weekend

The summer has arrived. Last weekend, a Hollywood film opened on a ridiculous number of screens, garnering some $100 million in a three days--which is really impressive given the current economy. Far from Hollywood, another element of summer surfaces this weekend as not one, but two locally-grown DIY shows make it to Milwaukee stages.

Opening tonight is . . .

PINK BANANA’S NEXT BIG THING:

What is guaranteed to be a relatively odd assortment of shorts performed in the luxuriously small space of the Alchemist Theatre featuring work of all kinds by local writers, myself included. Not having been directly involved with this set of shorts makes me wonder what the show’s going to be like, but not being in a position to objectively review any of it sort of takes the pressure off for me personally . . . it’s nice not to have to feel as though I need to have an intelligent opinion about a show . . .

And on Saturday, Insurgent Theatre and Alamo Basement open:

PLAY IN A DAY 3: THE MUSICAL!

A joint venture by two established DIY Groups, the third annual PIAD is another helping of theatre under pressure brought to the stage by some of the most eccentric minds available. Last year’s show may have been wildly uneven, but it was dazzlingly fresh. This year’s show comes to In Tandem’s newly-minted Tenth Street Theatre just off the highway. This one, I do have to have a intelligent opinion about. The whole critic thing always feels a little intmidating with this type of show. The entire show will be written in 24 hours, so there's no prior research I can do to prepare myself . . . . As always, PIAD runs for only one day before disappearing into hazy memory for another year . . .