Interview: Playwright j. Snodgrass Talks About the Buffalo Quickies 2018

The Quickies are coming!

Buffalo Loves The Quickies

The 27th Annual One-Act Play Celebration put together by Joyce Stilson and performed at The Alleyway Theatre.

I had the opportunity to interview a few of this event's Playwrights.

Let me introduce to you the award winning Playwright j. Snodgrass.

MCL: You have a Play that is a part of The Buffalo Quickes at Alleyway Theatre.

Describe what The Quickies are.

JS: The Quickies are short plays, each around 10 minutes, mostly by local writers (and when I say "local" I mean people who live locally, but many of whom have written plays that have been produced all over the country). Then they're assembled by some really talented Buffalo directors and actors, into a night of short-attention-span theater.

MCL: Were you ever involved with this festival before this year?

JS: My play "Clowntime is Over" was in the Quickies last year, and they did such a great job with it.

MCL: What is the name of your One Act?

JS: "Kick Your Heels Up and Shout!"

MCL: Can you tell us the plot without spoiling it?

JS: It's about a Buffalo Bills fan who tries to enlist his daughter (a teenaged witch) to magically assist in a victory.

MCL: First thought when your Play was chosen?

JS:Am I going to be burned alive after opening night? For blaspheming against the Buffalo Bills?

MCL: The Buffalo Quickies has been a long tradition. Why do you think it's been so successful?

JS: I think it's successful because of the way Joyce Stilson chooses these short plays from a wide variety of offerings, and arranges them so that, even though the individual pieces are very distinct, they work together as a cohesive evening of theater.

MCL: What is the enjoyment of Writing a One Act Play?

JS: Take the biggest topic you can think of, imagine it as a full-length play, then cut straight to the final scene. Turn the first two-and-a-half acts into a sentence of back-story and then run the big fireworks finale.

MCL: What can the audience expect when they see this event?

JS: An affirmation of what we love about this city. Something gritty next to something comical next to something emotional. The audience can definitely expect to see some hard work from Buffalo directors, performers and writers. I hope they'll also see a lot of joy in it.

MCL: Joyce Stilson puts this together each year. I'm sure not an easy task. One word to describe Joyce Stilson.

JS: Vibrant. ...the runner-up word was "Patient."

MCL: Finally ... anything else you want to say about The Buffalo Quickies?

JS: Last year I went to the Quickies multiple nights, and each time I saw something new in them - these are short plays, so you have only a few minutes to orient yourself in the story before it's over and the next one begins. But seeing the show numerous times allowed me to get to know each piece, and also to consider the ways in which these distinct short plays worked together. I would strongly recommend going to see it in the first week or two, in case you find that you want to go back again.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON j. SNODGRASS:

Alleyway Theatre

http://alleyway.com/box-office/

misterjsnodgrass.wordpress.com .

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