Interview: Katie Becker Colon of TOO MIGHT LIGHT MAKES THE BABY GO BLIND (30 SHOWS IN 60 MINUTES) at Duke City Reparatory Theatre

With Greg Allen's Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 plays in 60 minutes), Duke City Reparatory Theatre plans on bringing a new experience to the Albuquerque theatre scene. It is hoped that the shows Duke City Reparatory Theatre puts on, such as performances of Shakespeare's works in breweries or The Telling Project: Albuquerque, where veterans talk about their experiences, will allow new and different audiences to attend live theatre in Albuquerque. For Katie Becker Colon, one of the play's directors, it is a chance to, "bring in new audiences."

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 plays in 60 minutes),which is described as a night of theatre unlike any other, originated in Chicago and is one of the city's longest running productions. Colon had the chance to see the show while she was in Chicago and became enamored with it. When it was suggested for the 2018 season, she could immediately could see aspects of it that would fit with Duke City Reparatory Theatre, including the ensemble and improv qualities that have become so prominent for them. For Colon, this was a way to change the traditional idea of theatre where the audience, "sits in the dark, the lights come on, and then they go," by listening to the audience and what they want. This audience interaction helps to bring a sort of, "meta theatre experience," wherein real life is theatricalized and the, "truth from the original playwright is brought in an honest and vulnerable way," that may not be possible with more traditional theatre.

The goal of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blindis to fit 30 short, two-minute plays into just one hour. There will be seven performances in total, with the play running from August 22 - August 28. If someone were to attend every show, they would be able to see completely different productions each night.

Creating a theatrical experience like this one is not without its difficulties, including a shorter rehearsal period, working with multiple directors and new additions to the Duke City Reparatory Theatre group, and figuring out how to structure the show in order to reduce confusion for the audience and actors. According to Colon, one of the most difficult aspects was learning how to transition from one play to the next in a way that, "wouldn't make the actors' brains want to scramble." To do this, the directors ensured that there were conventions built into each play that was similar and to have some "failsafes" the actors could improvise within that would keep it crystal clear what was going on.

Colon's hope for the future of theatre in New Mexico is to see more people coming to the shows, which to her would acknowledge the importance of live performances. She hopes that Duke City Repertory Theatre's productions and its unique take on theatre would help cultivate this movement and relationships with a younger audience. She stated that she has begun to see twenty- and thirty-year-olds looking at what entertainment Albuquerque has to offer, including live theatre. This in turn acknowledges the importance of the arts that people are seeking out.

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind is being performed at the Trilock Performance Space (TLab), running from August 22nd- August 28th. Performances are Monday - Wednesday, and Saturday at 8 pm, and Sunday at 4 pm. There is a recommended age of 15+ due to content and language. Tickets can be purchased at the box office by calling 505-797-7081 or visiting the website at:http://dukecityrep.com.

image credit: Duke City Reparatory Theatre

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